The development and promotion of Early Childhood Care and Pre-school Education (ECEC) is undoubtedly one of the major priorities of educational (and social) policies on the international stage and in the national circumstances of European (and non-European) countries. We see this in an effort to improve the conditions for extending early childhood care (under 3 years of age), to increase the number of children enrolled in the network of pre-school facilities, but also in an increasing number of countries introducing and implementing compulsory pre-school education one year (or more) before starting school. We also see this in the changes in the education programs for ECEC, which expect a high degree of professionalism in ECEC facilities. All these measures and steps are based on evidence that early care and pre-school education are a significant measure that improves the prospects of children succeeding in school, gaining quality education, and making good use in life. Early childhood care and pre-school education contribute to this goal in particular by balancing children's social chances, helping everyone to acquire the starting cultural capital and skills that are needed to succeed in school socialization. The project is a concrete contribution to the basic objective of improving the quality of ECEC and pre-school education, in line with the European Union and national education (and social) policies. In its specific definition, the project focuses on ECEC workers, their professional support and growth, in order to align their professional profile with the objectives that current ECEC development policy expects and requires. Within the European area, the project creates a targeted network of partner workplaces in terms of its geographical (historical and political) background. The project includes the so-called post-communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe, namely Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Slovenia. As mentioned above, in the ECEC, these countries have similar historical roots and have been confronted with identical transformation challenges and problems. The transformation processes have already led these countries to the autonomous development of the ECEC, so that, both at the structural level and in the areas of preparation and qualification and professional provision of the ECEC, the participating countries have different settings. These differences are of great benefit to the project, as it enables us to find the best experience for the development of ECEC and the professional development of workers in the field on an international background and to apply them in the preparation and implementation of competence development programs in harmonized cooperation. The project from these countries enters academic workplaces as well as specific ECEC facilities from participating countries, including the professional organization of ECEC staff working in the international network. Partner academic workplaces from the participating countries represent a leading platform for the development of ECEC and pre-school education in their countries, whether in terms of staff training in this area or in significant participation in shaping and implementing national ECEC policies. All involved workplaces have rich experience in designing, training, research and conceptual activities in this area, with a high prerequisite for a successful solution to this project. Specific ECEC facilities from each participating country are also involved in the project to include public and private sector institutions as well as institutions representing the full range of ECEC's (childcare for three years of age, kindergartens) facilities is the starting point for a good interconnection of project plans to practice as well as to its regional anchoring. The professional training organization of ECEC staff (seated in the project coordinator country) will also make a significant contribution to the project activities aimed at training courses. The project activities have a proportional intellectual character linked to training activities and ongoing dissemination activities. Intellectual outputs aim to thoroughly map, compare, and harmonize the professional profiles of ECEC workers in the participating countries, linked to training activities and ongoing dissemination activities. Existing professional profiles are defined and compared to create an optimal professional profile structure applicable in a transnational perspective. Dissemination activities will also be in the form of accompanying published texts, outputs at seminars and conferences, presentation of the project through social networks and media outputs.
The goals of the project were aimed at improving the professional profile of workers in early care and preschool education, following in particular the harmonization of ongoing changes and challenges in of the given area with the qualification quality of these workers. We were based on long-term experience in the professional training of kindergarten teachers, knowing the fact that their educational needs are not sufficiently saturated, although their motivation for professional development is very high. In our conditions, for example, there was no relevant offer for professional development kindergarten teachers even during the more demanding change of the national preschool education program, which is a relevant problem to this day. Through the individual outputs of the project, but especially through training activities, we managed not only to enable female teachers to gain invaluable experience from other countries, but we were also able to create materials that (based on feedback from practice) are welcome in the field of education of ECEC workers.
The development and support of early care and preschool education (ECEC) undoubtedly belongs to one of the great priorities of educational (and social) policies on the international scene and in national conditions of European (and non-European) countries. We see it in the effort to improve the conditions for the expansion of care for children at an early age (up to 3 years old), in the effort to increasing the number of children included in the network of preschool education facilities, but also by the growing number of countries that introduce and implement compulsory preschool education at least one year (or more) before starting school. All these measures and steps are based on the evidence that early care and preschool education are an important measure that improves the prospects of children to succeed in school, get a quality education and apply themselves well in life. Early care and preschool education contribute to this goal mainly because they know how to balance children's social chances, they help everyone acquire the starting cultural capital and skills necessary for successful subsequent school socialization.