Welcome to our transformative project focusing on Early Childhood Care and Pre-school Education (VSRD). Our mission is to improve early childhood care and preschool education for children under 3 years old, increasing access to preschool facilities and supporting the implementation of compulsory preschool education. We’re dedicated to enhancing the professionalism of VSRD facilities and workers to ensure that children have a strong foundation for academic success and future opportunities. Collaborating with partner institutions across Central and Eastern Europe, we aim to harmonize the professional profiles of VSRD workers in line with European policy objectives. Join us in shaping a brighter future for early childhood education!

The development and promotion of Early Childhood Care and Pre-school Education (VSRD) 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 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 preschool facilities, and also to an increasing number of countries introducing and implementing compulsory preschool education. One year (or more) before starting school. We also see this in the changes in the education programs for VSRD, which expect a high degree of professionalism in VSRD facilities. All these measures and steps are based on evidence that early care and preschool education are significant measures that improve the prospects of children succeeding in school, gaining quality education, and making good use of life. Early childhood care and preschool education contribute to this goal by balancing children’s social chances, helping everyone acquire the starting cultural capital and skills needed to succeed in school socialization. The project is a concrete contribution to improving the quality of ECEC and preschool education, in line with European Union and national education (and social) policies. In its specific definition, the project focuses on VSRD workers, their professional support, and growth, to align their professional profile with the objectives that the current VSRD development policy expects and requires.

Within the European area, the project creates a targeted network of partner workplaces in terms of their geographical (historical and political) backgrounds. The project includes so-called post-communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe, namely Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Slovenia. As mentioned above, in the VSRD, 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 VSRD, so that, both at the structural level and in the areas of preparation and qualification and professional provision of the VSRD, the participating countries have different settings. It is these differences that are of great benefit to the project, as they enable finding the best experience for the development of VSRD and the professional development of workers in the field on an international background and 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 VSRD facilities from participating countries, including the professional organization of VSRD staff working in the international network. Partner academic workplaces from the participating countries represent a leading platform for the development of ECEC and preschool education in their countries, whether in terms of staff training in this area or in significant participation in shaping and implementing national VSRD 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 of this project.

Specific VSRD facilities from each participating country are also involved in the project including public and private sector institutions and institutions representing the full range of VSRDs (childcare for three years of age, kindergartens). facilities is the starting point for a good interconnection professional training organization of VSRD staff (based 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 VSRD workers in the participating countries, linked to training activities and ongoing dissemination activities. Intellectual outputs aim at a thorough mapping, comparison, and harmonization of professional profiles of VSRD workers in the participating countries in confrontation with the current objectives of the European policy of VSRD and its needs towards the development of this group of pedagogical staff. Existing professional profiles are defined and compared to create an optimal professional profile structure applicable from a transnational perspective. Dissemination activities will be also in the form of accompanying published texts, outputs at seminars and conferences, presentation of the project through social networks, and media outputs.