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In this paper the problem of evaluation of activity of educational psychologists of early childhood education is considered. It is shown that in the Educational Psychologist Professional Standard, labor functions/actions depend on the nature and type of educational institutions and include formalized features of evaluation and level of competence of specialists working with parents. All functions are specified in terms of knowledge and skills, but job descriptions and professional standards do not provide clear criteria for the effectiveness of the work of a psychologist in interaction with the families of students, so it is often difficult for managers to understand how to assess the results of the work of the specialist. The problem of developing a mechanism for assessing the effectiveness of the work of an educational psychologist with parents in accordance with the legal framework and ethical principles becomes topical in each early childhood educational center. The use of the methods of analysis of the results of the expert activity on the certification of educational psychologists of early childhood educational centers, study of the annual reports of teachers-psychologists on the work with parents from the official sites of kindergartens, surveys, observations and conversations show that many professionals mix the concepts of “competence”, “efficiency” and “effectiveness” in the interaction with the child’s family and try to answer the question: “Is formalized competence always an effective activity?” The main criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of work are the results of self-assessment and self-analysis of professional activity, parents’ satisfaction with the specialist’s activities, parents’ focus on productive, systematic and positive contacts, as well as the number of parents who have received various types of psychological assistance and support. In addition, a quantitative, qualitative, social and self-assessment criterion can be used to analyze the effectiveness of the work of a psychologist with parents in kindergarten. This will make it possible to improve the conditions created by the specialist for psychological and pedagogical support of the families of the pupils so that the parents’ need for psychological services correlates to the goals and objectives of the kindergarten for the formation of the values of early childhood and the priority of parental upbringing.

The article describes the HeadStart program (USA), which is in use for over 40 years in working with preschool children from low-income families. The program includes projects to help the families of migrants, seasonal workers and indigenous people of America. The program provides access to healthcare and healthy nutrition, financial support, employment assistance, and offers parent-child study groups. The examples of program’s standards are provided. Family involvement in education and upbringing of children is considered to be a specific type of work to reduce the risk of child neglect and child abandonment. If children from socially disadvantaged families are provided with an access to resources outside of their families, they develop much faster. The article addressed the issue of evaluating the effectiveness of such programs in the long term. The program fosters personal growth.