Abstract:

Background:
Hospital pedagogical work minimizes the negative consequences of treatment and illness, improves the children´s quality of life, and contributes to caring so that it is holistic and developing for children chronically ill and hospitalized. Chronic illness and hospitalization is a stressful and demanding life event, when children, usually accompanied by one of a parent, leave home and familiar environment and start its stay in hospitals. For pedagogical work in hospitals, however, it is necessary to obtain and cooperate with parents of preschool children who are important elements of this pedagogical process. Their approval and psychosocial wellbeing are important aspects for the well-being, functioning, and education of sick children in hospitals.

Goal:
This study aims to find out how hospital preschool teachers describe their cooperation with parents and the barriers of these interactions in hospitals.
Methods: A qualitative research design was used; data was gathered by conducting semi-structured interviews with four hospital preschool teachers.

Findings:
It is the parents' attitudes towards the disease that are crucial in how children will accept the illness, how will be able to adapt and accept treatment. And not just towards the children's diseases, parents´ attitudes towards education and willingness to involve and cooperate with hospital teachers are important factors to children learning, developing, and overall wellbeing, even in stressful and demanding clinical settings.

Keywords:

Hospital pedagogy, hospital pedagogical work, pedagogical process in hospitals, hospital teachers, early childhood education.