Various family structures are possible, and one of them is the single-parent family. There are various reasons for the creation of single-parent families. Most often, it is a divorce, the death of one of the parents, or the birth of a child out of marriage without the support of the other parent. Lone parents are mostly families of single parent families. In Croatia and at the level of the European Union, the majority of single-parent families consist of mothers with a child/children, and the majority of single-parent families have one child. Single-parent families face a series of challenges and difficulties from social condemnation, negative attitudes of the environment to poor socioeconomic status and material deprivation. This especially applies to single mothers. In Croatia, protection for single parents is provided in the form of legal protection and through the work of various associations and organizations. In the field of early and preschool education, single parents are given priority when enrolling their child in kindergarten, but additional forms of support need to be introduced to help single parents and single-parent families. The structure of a single-parent family is not a fixed structure, and it is possible for it to change over the course of life.