Welcoming words
The Center for rehabilitation and education of children Zlatni cekin offers to children with developmental disabilities of preschool and school age early diagnostics, early rehabilitation, early education and early socialization and integration. The following institutions are registered and working within the center Zlatni cekin: The Polyclinic for rehabilitation of children with Provision of social services: daycare, weekly accommodation and provision of individual psychosocial help in a family (home care) and Kindergarten Cekin. The presence of children with typical development in the Montessori program of our kindergarten is a great encouragement to the children with disabilities in their socialization and preparation for school and life in general. Through its interdisciplinary work Zlatni cekin offers children polyvalent professional help and great love and care. Thanks to good and quality programs and work methods, dedicated staff and their longtime experience as well as to technical and spatial equipment, which was provided by our numerous donators, the results of our work with children are extremely successful.
Zlatni cekin is a nonprofit institution, built and equipped from the donations. In order to continue the good work, to develop and help children successfully, since it is not funded by public budget, it always needs the help and support of good people. We kindly ask the friends of children to support our noble work and to improve it!
We are very thankful to all who help and follow us!
ZLATNI CEKIN – POLYCLINIC FOR REHABILITATION OF CHILDREN
The polyclinic Zlatni cekin is a private, nonprofit, highly specialized contractual healthcare facility for the rehabilitation of children which deals with polyvalent rehabilitation of children suffering from the diseases of neuromuscular and locomotor system as well as from other diseases of a central nervous system.
There are two specialist clinics working within the Polyclinic Zlatni cekin: pediatric and physiatric. The doctor physiatrist, as a team leader, works closely with the pediatrician, supervises the work of a rehabilitator (defec¬tolo-gist), speech therapist, psychologist, physiotherapist and other health staff. They conduct comprehensive rehabili-tation of children that come for clinical treatment to Zlatni cekin. The therapies are conducted individually.
Although our rehabilitation programs are polyvalent, most of our patients (70%) come with neuromuscular disorders whereas about 30% of them belong exclusively to logopedic-defectologic area.
THE HISTORY OF THE CENTER ZLATNI CEKIN
Zlatni cekin was opened in October 1993 in Slavonski Brod (Croatia) with the help of Franciscans (OFM) from Bologna and their charity society Antoniano, i.e. through their child festival Zecchino d’oro (the name of which this Center took as a sign of gratitude). The Franciscan province “Bosna Srebrena” (Sarajevo) took over the construction, furnishing, organization and management works while the Franciscan monastery in Slavonski Brod is the legal entity. There are three activities registered within the Center: Zlatni cekin – polyclinic for the rehabili-tation of children (healthcare activity!) with Provision of social services: daycare, weekly accommo¬dation and professional help in a family – home care (social activity!) as well as Cekin – Kindergarten (educational activity!).
This complex, multidisciplinary approach offers more advantages than the classic hospital conditions for the children with special needs or kindergartens for children with typical development. The children with develop¬mental difficul¬ties have an opportunity in Zlatni cekin to join the regular kindergarten program, and the children with typical development, if the need arises, can use the services of a speech therapist, physiatrist or alike. The activities of the polyclinic and kindergarten are compatible and indispensable both for the psychological and physical development of children. The space is adapted to the needs and abilities of our clients and it consists of three connected buildings with an area of about 2.500 m2. The space is well equipped with necessary supplies and aids as well as with an outdoor pool. Most of the yard consists of the areas designed for the play and entertainment of children which are regularly complemented and upgraded with adequate contents, appliances and aids.
Ten years of research conducted by the Ministry of Science of the Republic of Croatia (1981-1991) discovered a high percentage (3-5%) of children with developmental disorders in this area. After and during the last war there were many wounded children and refugees who used our rehabilitation services. The opening of the new Center made early and comprehensive rehabilitation possible close to the place of residence, and that made the rehabilitation more accessible to parents and it reduced their travelling costs because earlier many of them had to travel over 200 kilometers to come to the nearest institution. By building this Center the Franciscans wanted, with the help of their friends, to help parents who have children with disabilities. Today this Center has grown into one noble story in which numerous childhoods write their own pages… The Center was designed free of charge by a respectable architect, prof. Zlatko Ugljen from Sarajevo.
Zlatni cekin in Slavonski Brod is a unique institution in Croatia and it is very interesting to many experts from abroad with which numerous contacts and various collaborations have been established.
ACTIVITY AND POSSIBILITIES
A) POLYCLINIC ZLATNI CEKIN
The polyclinic Zlatni cekin admits children with neuromuscular disorders, disorders of locomotor system and other diseases of central nervous system. It comprises two specialist clinics: pediatric and physiatric. The doctor physiatrist, as a team leader, cooperates with the pediatrician, defectologist, speech therapist, psycholo¬gist, occupational therapist and other health staff. They conduct comprehensive rehabilitation of children that come for clinical treatment. The therapies are conducted individually.
The rehabilitators (defectologists), a speech therapist, psychologist and occupational therapist give great contribution to and have a great role in the rehabilitation of our patients. Their expertise and experience are followed by cordiality and great patience, which were witnessed by many parents. The physiotherapists conduct specific therapies: Vojta, Bobath and Maes, kinesio tape, Brain gym, sensor integration and Zeptor SRT as well as other forms of physical therapy. Good equipment, professional and individual work and exemplary cooperation with parents give good results.
The basic aim of our polyclinic is the early, multidisciplinary and comprehensive rehabilitation. Active participation of parents is also very important in all procedures of rehabilitation. Therefore, we always conduct the education of parents along with the therapies. By exercising with the child at home, in a family, one maintains the continuity of the rehabilitation and enriches the child-parent relationship.
B) PROVISION OF SOCIAL SERVICES
In Zlatni cekin – polyclinic for the rehabilitation of children there is also an additionally registered social activity Provision of social services: a half-day stay, weekly accommodation for short rehabilitation programs and individual psycho-social support in a family (home care). The parents of children with disabilities of preschool
age who live in distant places and have no possibilities for an early and quality rehabilitation in their area because of the lack of professional staff, and because of the distance and problems with transporta¬tion, and also because
of some social problems, now have an opportunity to use the services of daily or weekly accommo¬¬dation in Zlatni cekin, with a decision of the competent Center for Social Welfare, and in this way use all the services of our polyclinic.
The costs of stay, with the decision of the Center for Social Welfare, are paid by the social welfare, and the costs of the polyclinic are covered by Croatian Health Insurance Office (HZZO) through the referral of the child’s doctor. The interdisciplinary team of Zlatni cekin also offers, along with the work with children, coun¬seling for the parents in order to make the success of the rehabilitation bigger and faster. The accommoda¬tion of children is organized in the patient clinic of Zlatni cekin from Monday till Friday.
C) KINDERGARTEN CEKIN
Along with the polyclinic, which is intended for the provision of professional medical help, within Zlatni cekin, there is also a kindergarten Cekin, which is visited by more than 100 children, almost 40 of which are children with developmental disabilities. The work program of the kindergarten is focused on education and socialization of children with developmental disabilities. In the process of integration of children with disabilities and children with typical development one develops a higher degree of tolerance and humanism. Through mutual fellowship and companionship, the children help each other every day. The process of integration is conducted by the educators with the help of a rehabilitator (defectologist) and a psychologist.
The multidisciplinary work with children that have developmental disabilities is a great advantage of our institution. Along with the kindergarten program, the children with disabilities from the group Bubamara and other groups have an opportunity to use the rehabilitation exercises in the Polyclinic. All of that shows that the activities of the polyclinic and kindergarten are compatible and inseparable. They are modeled after similar institutions in the West.
The humane and religious motivation of the employees is of great significance to this institution. Namely, without sacrifice, deprivation or good education it would probably be very hard to do this job and one could not expect good results.
VOLUNTEERS
There are numerous volunteers working in Zlatni cekin from the surrounding area as well as from abroad who help and enrich the work with children with their work and heartiness and bring more humanity to it. Over one hundred volunteers pass through Zlatni cekin in one year, with about 3.500 volunteer hours. Within the volun¬teer work they participate in the kindergarten “Cekin” and polyclinic “Zlatni cekin” in the Provision of social services: weekly accommodation and half-day stay, where they do different tasks under supervision of the volunteer coordinator.
Some of the activities performed by the volunteers are: playing with children, assisting while feeding the children and while dressing them, preparing work materials (various applications and work sheets), tidying up the work space as well as many other activities which ensure better organization of work with the children.
We are especially thankful to the volunteers for their contribution to the work of our Center. We always look forward to their arrival and help. Without their help, Zlatni cekin would be a completely different institution in which the children would miss a lot of goodness and humanity. The means which we get for this work from the competent Ministry or from the social funds are modest and limited so we need and value the help from the volunteers.
Download, fill out and send the application form for volunteering to our e-mail address: zlatnicekin.volonter@gmail.com
