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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.

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 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.