Elizaveta V. Sivak

This article presents the findings of research on the quality of early childhood education and care in Moscow. This research is based on insight into the quality of early childhood education and care built in to The Federal State Educational Standard for Preschool Education and the cultural-historical ideas of L. Vygotsky. The main aim of this field research is to investigate “the strong points” and drawbacks of early childhood education and care in the capital city. The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS-R) is used as an instrument of field research. The results are based on a random sample of 36 preschools and kindergartens in one of the districts of Moscow. The research gathers data about the most comfortable and least comfortable aspects of the learning environment in the preschools and kindergartens of Moscow. Taking into consideration the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standards, the findings of the research revealed that the most important line of learning environment development in preschool and kindergarten are individual early care and education program, support for the independence of children, the creation of a more available and mobile environment, and optimal conditions for the development of thinking, imagination and child creativity.

Influential studies in different countries over recent years show significant changes in child-rearing culture, or parenting practices and attitudes that are considered good and correct. Studies have also been conducted in Russia but so far, they have been few. Based on the analysis of existing studies, as well as 50 interviews with mothers of preschool age children conducted in 2014-2018, the paper examines the specifics of intensive parenthood. Among these features, we have identified the following: 1) intensive methods of upbringing (which require a lot of time, money and substantial emotional work), 2) parental determinism (the belief that all actions taken with the child and all decisions related to the upbringing of the child have an impact on the rest of the child’s life) and the attitude about the critical importance of early childhood, 3) optimization of the environment around the child, control over various aspects of the child’s life, 4) reliance on scientific and expert knowledge in upbringing, rather than on personal experience or tradition. These features of modern parents in Russia are important for effective communication between parents and teachers, as well as for the development of educational programs for parents implemented by preschool organizations. Such programs can become a support for parents in overcoming the difficulties caused by the modern model of child upbringing. It is particularly important to focus not on improving the skills and knowledge of parents but on increasing the self-efficacy of parents (i.e., ensuring that they are able to cope with possible problems rather than transmitting any knowledge) and reducing anxiety.