EUROPEAN LEGISLATION IN PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION IN THE GERMAN EDUCATION SYSTEM
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.28925/2412-124X.2025.14.10Keywords:
early childhood education, European integration, European legislation, federal model, Federal Republic of Germany, German education system, standards implementation.Abstract
The article provides a comprehensive analysis of European legislation in the field of early childhood education and the specifics of its implementation in the federal education system of Germany. Key strategic documents of the EU are analyzed, including the ET 2010, ET 2020, and ET 2030 programmes, the Council Recommendation of 22 May 2019 on high-quality early childhood systems, as well as their financial support mechanisms through the European Social Fund Plus and the Erasmus+ programme. Particular attention is given to the German experience of multi-level implementation of European standards through federal legislation (SGB VIII, KiTa-Qualitätsgesetz) and regional educational programmes of the 16 federal states. The adaptation of European competencies in state educational plans is revealed, and innovative pedagogical concepts (Situational Approach, "Open Kindergarten") are analyzed. Quantitative indicators of the German system’s compliance with European standards are examined: 94% child coverage, educator-to-child ratio of 1:7.5, professionalization of 89% of staff. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of a decentralized implementation model that combines framework principles with regional autonomy. Key success factors are identified: multi-level regulation, stable funding, and staff professionalization. In the context of Ukraine’s European integration aspirations, the German experience provides valuable guidelines for developing the national early childhood education system. The research is based on the analysis of legal and regulatory documents, statistical data from Eurydice and OECD, and scholarly works by German researchers. The article is significant for understanding the mechanisms of European educational integration and developing strategies for modernizing national early childhood education systems.
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