Abstract:

In recent years in Lithuania and Europe children’s early education is getting more and more attention. The research has identified that out of all the cycles of education the biggest economic return is given namely by the investments into the education of children from their birth to 5 years of age (Taggart, Sylva, Melhuish, Sammons, Siraj, 2015). Early childhood is the most appropriate time to positively influence child’s development and eliminate difficulties by educational means because if they are not eliminated until the age of 5, they usually keep becoming more and more distinct. Therefore, already since 1992 children’s early institutional education has been considered as one of the priorities of education.

The importance of early age on child’s further education and his/her achievements is emphasized in the scientists’ research and in the Lithuanian and European documents on education. In the Europe 2020 strategy it is emphasized that the states of the European Union will strive that until 2020 at least 95 percent of children from 4 years of age to mandatory learning at school will participate in institutional preschool or pre-primary education. In the State Education Strategy of Lithuania for 2013-2022 it is foreseen that in 2017 90 percent and in 2022 95 percent of children will attend groups of preschool or pre-primary education. Political attention to early education will ensure children’s further high quality education, their better academic achievements in the present and future.

Aim:
To discuss the opportunities of children’s early education in the Lithuanian preschool institutions and find out the problems the pedagogues face.

Methodology:
112 preschool education pedagogues from various preschool institutions of Lithuania who work with children under six years of age participated in the research. The questionnaire consisting of two informational blocks (the demographic block and the evaluation of the situation of early education in the preschool institution X) was made for the respondents.

Research methods:
Analysis of scientific, methodical, informational literature and documents on education. For data collection, processing and evaluation the combination of quantitative and qualitative research has been used: the method of questionnaire survey has been used, absolute and relative values have been calculated.

Results:
It has been identified by research that early education is a special period, important for child’s purposeful and high quality education and his/her life both in the present and future. It is especially important for children growing under the conditions of social risk and social exclusion because it gives opportunities to these children to achieve better academic results in the future, at the same time to ensure better future prospects as well. However, there are also problems related to the organization of early education, the solutions of which require not only closer collaboration between the institution and the family but also changes in the system of education.

Keywords:

Children’s early education, preschool institution.