The article presents the experience in implementation of innovative educational project, in which educators, students of the Faculty of Elementary Education, colleagues of the Department of Psychological Anthropology and parents with children of early and preschool age took place. Due to the project the Center for Family Education was opened at the Moscow Pedagogical State University at the Institute of Childhood. The environment of the Centre for Family Education is based on the principles of Montessori Method. Therefore, the content of the activity in the Center includes both psychological and pedagogical theories of preschool education system in Russia and strong points of the Montessori Method of education.
The article pays attention to the analysis of multiple resources of higher education institutions for the implementation of the project of Centre for Family Education, it also describes the specifics of designed and field-proved programmes of supplementary education for children and adults based on which the work content in the Centre is framed. The implementation of the research project focuses on the results of testing programs designed by the Department of Psychological Anthropology at the Institute of Childhood: “Montessori Plus” comprehensive educational program of preschool education, “Family Festivals” partial program, “School for engaged parent” educational program of psychological and pedagogical support for parents.
The first results of the “Happy children at the University” project showed that the work on the project was a good start to unite various educational interests of professional teaching community and students of the University for implementation of interesting and fruitful solutions for the benefit of Russian preschool education. Analysis of the results also assures that the Centre for Family Education as a structural department of the University is an available option for Moscow parents to be chosen for its educational programs for children since early childhood. It is also a source of personal development and educational competence.