The HAPPY KIDS education system was founded 17 years ago. Today it is the leader in the field of preschool education in our country, in the region and in south-east Europe. As a recognizable brand, it has a huge potential for expansion
Good kindergartens follow the highest global trends in terms of work models and access to children and families, but also their interior design, equipment and working materials – explains our guest. Besides all this, she has built into her kindergartens a lot of love, expertise responsibility, creativity, commitment and ambition.
You made Happy Kids to suit to your eldest son and your family. Were you aware that Belgrade needed just such an education system?
— You must have strong desires if you want to fulfil them well. I wanted a lot, I knew how and I knew why. I had a clear vision and I was not afraid of challenges, but I walked towards them boldly. In building HAPPY KIDS I was guided by my moral principles, the most precious traditional family values, my love for children and the desire to create the happiest and best empire for children to grow in. That’s why I gathered a team of selected colleagues. I instilled in them the key HAPPY KIDS values and helped them live those values.
For 17 years I have been creating my HAPPY business world. I am glad that thanks to my knowledge, diligence, focus and faith in myself, I was able to set preschool standards that everyone looks up to today. HAPPY KIDS is an identity card of me as an entrepreneur, but also of me as a mother.
Internet video-surveillance for parents to monitor their child’s activity in the kindergarten was the greatest innovative feature when we appeared in Serbia
Internet video-surveillance, with which parents monitor their child’s activities in the kindergarten, was the biggest feature and innovation of HAPPY KIDS, when we appeared in Serbia. From then until today, we have been known for our good price-to-quality ratio, and we are currently working on developing the concept of providing free services to all subsidized families of our children.
Expanding capacity went quite naturally, because there was always a demand for more space in your kindergartens. How many locations do you operate now and how many children do you take care of?
— HAPPY KIDS is today a leader in the field of preschool education in our country, but also in the region and the entire south-eastern part of Europe. The HAPPY KIDS preschool facilities are located in eight densely populated areas of Belgrade: Zvezdara, Palilula, Novi Beograd, Vračar, Voždovac and Savski venac. At the moment, around 700 children find their ‘second home’ in our kindergartens, cared for by a large number of professional educational staff.
As a recognizable brand with clearly defined business standards, HAPPY KIDS has a huge expansion potential both in Serbia and in the region, but also among the diaspora in European countries.
Over the last two decades, the habits and needs of parents and children, and even the children themselves, have changed. Is this why you are continuously improving your work programmes?
— True values endure regardless of social change. In our work, we apply the programme prescribed by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia, but we also follow and implement the finest world trends in preschool and school education of children in our programme. HAPPY KIDS has created a rich and recognizable assortment of basic services that are unsurpassed in the quality of their content. In addition to preschool education services, we provide a whole range of additional activities – sports, cognitive and language services, and children’s tourism.
Despite all the changes, some things always remain the same – children need a safe environment for growth, development, socialization and individual development. Do you put a lot of emphasis on that personal approach and on how the children feel?
— For us, every child is a priceless treasure, an irreplaceable jewel, shining with a unique brilliance. As custodians of true life and family values, we strive to provide a better everyday life, a healthier and better quality upbringing for all children. We open the doors of the world to our children. We are creating the future of Serbia.
HAPPY KIDS kindergartens follow the highest global trends in terms of work models, access to children and families, but also in terms of interior design, equipment, materials and tools for working with children. The standards you set can be imitated, but not reached. That is why Happy Kids is known as the undisputed leader in the field of private preschool education.
Happy kids has become synonymous with the highest standard in educational work, highly qualified staff, well-equipped premises and affordable prices
Our institution has become synonymous with the highest standards of educational work, highly qualified staff, well-equipped premises, friendly service and affordable prices. Love, expertise, responsibility, creativity, dedication and ambition are the path we took to reach a leading position in the field of preschool education.
Our vision is that the children are happy in the present and successful in the future. Successful people are those who carry a dose of self-confidence, joy, happiness, and personal satisfaction. Self-confidence is a value that is built in childhood, it does not disappear and makes people exceptional throughout their lives.
We mentioned your eldest son, so it would be time to mention his sister Nina, who, like hundreds of other children, you helped to discover and develop their talents. Are you proud of all these gifted children?
— I am the mother of three children and they are the greatest result of my existence. I am extremely proud of them. Both my husband and I are active in business, so my children have had the privilege of learning that success is achieved through work, effort and personal commitment. As a dedicated mother, I enjoy following the wishes, aspirations and needs of my children. Even when they were small, I taught them to respect traditional life values, but also to recognize what makes them satisfied and happy. The working model of HAPPY KIDS has instilled in them a sufficient dose of self-confidence, so that today they can safely walk the paths they choose for themselves.
Nina is an artist. A year ago, she won the role of the main heroine of the family film Vučje bobice (Wolf Berries), and now she is actively engaged in classical ballet. Vuk was a tennis player and a student at an international high school, he is interested in business and plans to study economics abroad. Mihajlo, whom you mentioned, is my eldest son. He is the child to whom I have dedicated my work. Thanks to his uniqueness and his need for an individual approach in upbringing and education, the business magic of HAPPY KIDS was born.