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Introduction. The article presents the results of a retrospective study devoted to the formation and development of the cooperation of the Herzen State University with the kindergartens of St. Petersburg, the historically established traditions of scientific and methodological support of pre-school education and current trends in the development of this direction are described. The aim of the study was to study key ideas and directions of scientific and methodological support of kindergartens in the process of integral historical development.

A comprehensive research methodology was used, including a theoretical analysis of the contents of archival materials, publications, periodicals, a retrospective method showing the process of cooperation of the Herzen State University in terms of its development dynamics and historical continuity, scientific interpretation and synthesis of specific factual materials.

The results show unique experience of the “Child’s life of the child” museum, which served as the basis for the formation of the practice of scientific and methodological support of the innovative, experimental activities of the city’s kindergartens.

Conclusion. The study makes it possible to determine the tendencies in the development of the process of scientific and methodological support of the practice of pre-school education in St. Petersburg, highlight the historically established traditions of such cooperation, identify current rends, and key directions of the development of this process.

The study considers the problem of the development of children’s personality in the system of preschool education. The analysis is focused on issues related to the influence of the quality of the educational environment and its developing psychological and pedagogical potential on the formation of children’s subjectivity. At present, one of the most important issues in psychology is the study of the development and formation of the child’s psyche in the process of interaction with their environment. The research is based on concepts and approaches to the educational environment as the source of the person’s mental development (L.S. Vygotsky, V.I. Slobodchikov, V.A. Yasvin); the systemic-environmental approach in education (A. Bandura, K. Rogers, I.A. Baeva, V.A. Yasvin); and statements on the development of the psyche and the formation of the personality as a subject of development during activities (B.G. Ananyev, L.S. Vygotsky, D.B. Elkonin, L.V. Alekseeva). The results of the study of the quality of the educational environment in early childhood confirm that all the preschool institutions in Russia have different capacities and developing potential. According to the results of the cluster analysis, four distinctive modern types of educational environments with different capacities were identified. Tendencies towards associating the quality parameters of the educational environment and the subjectivity of children were revealed, as well as significant differences in the subjective characteristics of preschool children in different types of educational environments. A “stimulating productive educational environment” and a “learning environment” contribute to the development of passivity and dependence in the child, while a “heuristic educational environment” and a “creative environment” are characterized by their focus on the free development of the active child and the unlocking of personal potential.

The article presents an analytical review of the systems of external independent evaluation of preschool education quality in the United States and Singapore. Special attention is given to the specifics of National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) as well as programs like STARS (Pennsylvania, USA) and SPARK (Singapore). The key characteristics of external quality assessment in these countries include voluntary participation, the presence of a PR component (so that parents understand how to navigate in a variety of kindergartens), support of leadership qualities and training managers within organizations, the use of standardized rating scales (e.g., ECERS-R), which have been recognized by the international community and focus more on evaluating environmental performance rather than children’s results. So the review of the foreign practices of organizing pre-school education quality assessment helps us to better understand how to form our national system of independent expert examination of pre-school education in the most productive way. This is all the more relevant now that Russia is engaged in laying down a new regulatory framework and elaborating a social mandate for high quality educational services.

This paper considers the issue of cooperation between the family and pre-school teachers during a child’s transition from kindergarten to primary school as a factor contributing to the child’s greater psychological readiness for school. For this purpose, the materials of a nationwide survey called Monitoring the Economics of Education: Early Childhood Education were used to analyze the degree of harmonization of parents’ and preschool teachers’ ideas of kindergarten and issues related to preparations for the transition to school. It is showed that teachers and parents, as well as parents themselves have different perceptions of a good kindergarten, the objectives of education and ways of preparing their child for school, many of the differences stemming from their level of education among other things.

The recent years have seen pre-school become part of general education. This change has been enshrined in law and is reflected in the way pre-school departments in primary schools are organized and financed. The wellbeing of preschool departments in territorial educational complexes depends on the number of parents involved. What remains to be seen however, is the priorities they have. Do they perceive early childhood education as part and parcel of general education? Do they really need pre-school education, and what exactly do they expect to get from it? Research into parental needs showed that most parents choose a pre-school department solely on the consideration of its convenient location. They see care and supervision as being the main goal of pre-school education. Parents’ satisfaction is associated with the friendly and individualized attitude the teacher displays towards a child. Three groups of parents were identified in terms of choices, objectives and satisfaction factors.

The article describes the theoretical foundations of the educational project “Transformation” project aimed at developing dialectical thinking in preschoolers and based on the “child’s participation principle” in the educational process. Dialectical thinking is understood to mean productive handling of the opposites which allows a person, on the one hand, to understand the world in the making, and, on the other, to produce a new creative product. This article describes the key points of the project: the dialectical structure of the developing world as an educational content, a dialectical task and the child participation principle. The author considers the specifics of implementing the “child’s participation principle” in the Transformation project: a child’s acquisition of cognitive means necessary for him to comprehend the development processes and, in particular, those in his own life when forecasting, planning and reflecting.

The article provides an analytic review of the Swedish and German independent preschool education quality assessment systems. Special attention is paid to the role of the founder of a kindergarten in organizing expert examination of the work and training of managers and educators, as well as the use of standardized assessment scales (KESR and KRIPSR, which are modified ECERS scale versions). Despite their specific educational conditions such as decentralized control over nurseries, the Swedish and German systems of independent preschool education quality assessment may serve as an interesting example for local specialists. International experience shows that the external quality assessment by the founders can be combined with both independent evaluation carried out by a special expert community, and with the self-assessment of organizations involved. If the expert community has developed substantive priorities and quality perceptions, including those based on analyzing the standardized international assessment scales, the head of a kindergarten may apply a monitoring procedure which is the most convenient at the moment in order to obtain a wide range of opportunities to improve the educational environment in the daycare center.

The main objective of this article is to help a preschool teacher to get acquainted with the organization and contents of the corrective educational process for children with disabilities. This category of children has special educational needs. Children with disabilities can receive preschool education in groups of combined or compensatory patterns in preschool educational facilities. Preschool education groups of compensating and combination patterns organize and implement the educational process for children with disabilities and special needs in accordance with customized educational programs. The author’s focus is on the development of such customized programs. “Model Basic Educational Program of Preschool Education” (MBEP) has been published in the Russian Federation Education and Science Ministry’s official register of model basic education programs. MBEP contains a section called “Program of corrective and developing work for children with disabilities and special needs.” This section shows an algorithm for developing customized programs for children with disabilities and special needs. This knowledge will help to enhance kindergarten teachers’ pedagogical skills necessary to implement the Federal State Education Standard in preschool education in the process of organizing inclusive education in preschool educational establishments.

The authors report on a study of kindergartens, which was conducted by the Child Development Laboratory at the Institute of System Projects, Moscow City Pedagogical University, and which included testing of the ECERS Scales in contrasting groups that had been formed on the basis of expert assessments. One group consisted of kindergartens which used the The Golden Key program and a program called “Kindergarten as a system of conditions for developing individuality and capability for self-determination” with a high quality educational environment. The other group consisted of kindergartens with an average quality educational environment. The article analyzes the specific features in the educational programs these groups used. Both groups shared the teaching staff situation, which is conducive to reflection and initiative on the part of the teachers. During the testing of the ECERS Scales very few groups received high ratings for their quality of the educational environment. The authors conclude that shared reflection and initiative on the part of preschool teaching staff in the construction of education is a sine qua non condition for a high quality educational environment aimed at supporting children’s activities and initiatives.

Modern preschool education needs qualified professionals who constantly improve their skills. Today in Russia professional communities of pedagogues of preschool education - federal, regional, urban, on the basis of individual kindergartens are established. They create conditions for experience exchange and open access to learning resources. Further development and improvement of the professional community of preschool education is hampered by the lack of the websites, local interaction of the participants within the same community, perfunctory membership in the community, lack of financing and fundraising mechanisms and lack of integration of communities into a united system of interaction. It is advisable to address these problems through the creation of a unified association of professional communities.