The quality of preschool education in Ukraine: Thirty years of change

Marija Czepil and Anna Fedorovych and Oresta Karpenko

Summary:  This article describes Ukraine’s achievements in ensuring the quality of preschool education. The research is based on the study of the legislative framework, statistical data, and pedagogical literature on the modernization of preschool education. The purpose of the article is to reveal strategic, institutional, methodical, and value directions in improving the quality of preschool education in Ukraine during 1991–2021 and to determine prospects for its improvement. The main focus is on understanding key changes in the quality of preschool education, achievements in and problems of ensuring the affordability of preschools for children, its flexibility and adaptability, the criteria for improving the quality of preschool education (quality of results, conditions of the educational process, and the organization of children’s lives); the professional skills of preschool educators; and the quality of education management in preschools.Aspects of the modernization of preschool education have been scrutinized, including: improving the conditions of the educational process and the organization of children’s living spaces, increasing the level of professionalism of preschool specialists (the staff in general), focusing on the result – preschoolers’ achieving the appropriate level of competence, etc. Difficulties in achieving a proper level of preschool education quality in Ukraine are demonstrated. A conclusion is made about the need for further improvement of preschool education.