The Young Scientist Academy was launched in the academic year of 2012/2013 and is open to preschoolers as well as – from 2018 – children with Down syndrome, with their parents and teachers.
It has the objective of offering children extended knowledge about the medical professions, making children aware of the reasons why they should take care of their health and develop hygienic habits, creating opportunities for spontaneous and organised physical activity of children, teaching self-reliance and responsibility for health, building confidence and positive self-image, developing the habit of speaking in a mild voice, preventing violence, and elimination of verbal and physical aggression among preschoolers. It also offers options for training parents/teachers in behavioral problems their children might experience, and showing them educational videos.
In its activities, the Young Scientist Academy helps children, parents and teachers learn about the history of medicine, the work of nurses (including basic rules of personal hygiene, giving injections, taking the temperature, measuring blood pressure), midwives (including what they do to help mothers deliver their babies), paramedics (including the general behaviour in hazardous situations, unassisted administration of first aid, how to call an ambulance), radiologists (including the human body), physiotherapists (including the need for physical activity, exercise through play), nutritionists (including development of proper nutritional habits), and speech therapists (including breathing exercises). It also helps understand the needs and standards of oral hygiene and boosts self-appreciation and confidence in children.