FOREIGN EXPERIENCE IN FINANCING PRESCHOOL EDUCATION: LESSONS FOR UKRAINE
Abstract
The article examines current issues related to the financing of preschool education. It emphasizes that investments in preschool education enable the achievement of various positive effects in social and economic spheres. The open aggression against Ukraine has once again highlighted the issue of preschool education quality, defining the education sector as one of the most critical societal priorities for our country. Currently, there are significant imbalances in the financial support of preschool education, and overcoming these imbalances is essential for progress in this area. The article systematizes the works of leading foreign and domestic scholars dedicated to the financial support of preschool education. Key models of preschool education financing used in different countries worldwide are identified. The advantages and disadvantages of each existing financing model are determined. It is established that, to a large extent, the financial support of preschool education is defined by the configuration of the education sector and the current state of financial management. Typically, when the state assumes a large share of preschool education costs, national and/or local taxes tend to be high. The mixed model develops in countries where an institutional foundation for public-private partnerships has been established. Grant and voucher models leave open the question of support for low-income families in accessing preschool education. An assessment of the feasibility of implementing foreign models of preschool education financing in Ukraine has been conducted, taking into account the current state of affairs in this sector. It is concluded that elements of any foreign model must be inherent to the development of Ukraine’s financial system, and their implementation should consider the interests of key participants in the educational process. An important step in this direction should be an audit of existing sources of preschool education funding in Ukraine, followed by the establishment of “framework” indicators for each source from a strategic perspective. It is important to further ensure maximum diversification of sources of funding for preschool education.
References
Education at a Glance 2021: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, 2021. URL.: https://doi.org/10.1787/b35a14e5-en (дата звернення 1.03.2025).
Козак Л. Сучасна дошкільна освіта: європейський досвід розвитку. Освітологічний дискурс. 2017. № 3-4. С. 235-251.
Лопушинський І., Ковнір О. Європейський та світовий досвід реформування освіти в процесі децентралізації влади. Педагогічний альманах. 2017. Вип. 33. С. 230-237.
Кульчицька Н. Зарубіжний досвід фінансового забезпечення муніципальної освіти та можливості його адаптації до вітчизняних реалій. Вісник Економіки, 2021. № 3. С. 69-85.
Децентралізація влади на основі кращих іноземних практик та українських законодавчих ініціатив. Матеріали інформаційного семінару. Український інститут міжнародної політики. 2015. 21 с.
Лохвицька Л. Дослідницький компонент у професійній підготовці здобувачів зі спеціальності 012 Дошкільна освіта: сучасні тенденції. Preschool Education: Global Trends. 2023. №3. С. 107-129.
Соловей Ю. Зарубіжний досвід управління системою дошкільної освіти. Освітні обрії. 2019. № 2. С. 49–54.
Новіков В. М. Пріоритети якісного розвитку дошкільної освіти. Демографія та соціальна економіка. 2022. № 1. С. 142-160.
OECD. Starting Strong: Early Childhood Education and Care, Starting Strong, OECD Publishing, Paris, 2001. URL.: https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264192829-en (дата звернення 1.03.2025).
The State of the World’s Children 2021: On My Mind – Promoting, protecting and caring for children’s mental health. UNICEF. New York, October 2021. URL.: https://www.unicef.org/media/114636/file/SOWC-2021-full-report-English.pdf (дата звернення 1.03.2025).
Heckman J. Skill Formation and the Economics of Investing in Disadvantaged Children. Science. 2006. №312. Pp. 1900–1902.
Застрожнікова І. Менеджмент освітніх мереж ОТГ в умовах децентралізації влади в Україні. Експерт: парадигми юридичних наук і державного управління. 2019. №4. С. 150-157.
OECD (2021) Education at a Glance 2021. OECD Publishing, Paris. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1787/b35a14e5-en (accessed March 01, 2025).
Kozak V. (2017) Suchasna doshkilna osvita: yevropeiskyi dosvid rozvytku [Modern preschool education: European development experience]. Osvitolohichnyi dyskurs, vol. 3-4, pp. 235-251.
Lopushynskyi I., Kovnir O. (2017) Yevropeiskyi ta svitovyi dosvid reformuvannia osvity v protsesi detsentralizatsii vlady [European and world experience of reforming education in the process of decentralization of power]. Pedahohichnyi almanakh, vol. 33, pp. 230-237.
Kulchytska N. (2021) Zarubizhnyi dosvid finansovoho zabezpechennia munitsypalnoi osvity ta mozhlyvosti yoho adaptatsii do vitchyznianykh realii [Foreign experience of financial support of municipal education and the possibility of its adaptation to domestic realities]. Visnyk Ekonomiky, vol. 3, pp. 69-85.
Ukrainskyi instytut mizhnarodnoi polityky (2015) Detsentralizatsiia vlady na osnovi krashchykh inozemnykh praktyk ta ukrainskykh zakonodavchykh initsiatyv [Decentralization of power based on best foreign practices and Ukrainian legislative initiatives]. 21 p.
Lokhvytska L. (2023) Doslidnytskyi komponent u profesiinii pidhotovtsi zdobuvachiv zi spetsialnosti 012 Doshkilna osvita: suchasni tendentsii [The research component in the professional training of applicants from the specialty 012 Preschool education: modern trends]. Preschool Education: Global Trends, vol. 3, pp. 107-129.
Solovei Yu. (2019) Zarubizhnyi dosvid upravlinnia systemoiu doshkilnoi osvity [Foreign experience of managing the preschool education system]. Osvitni obrii, vol. 2, pp. 49–54
Novikov, V. M. (2022). Priorytety yakisnogo rozvytku doshkilnoyi osvity [Priorities for the Quality Development of Preschool Education]. Demohrafiia ta sotsialna ekonomika, vol. 1, pp. 142-160.
OECD (2001) Starting Strong: Early Childhood Education and Care, Starting Strong, OECD Publishing, Paris. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264192829-en (accessed March 01, 2025).
UNICEF (2021) The State of the World’s Children 2021: On My Mind – Promoting, protecting and caring for children’s mental health. New York. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/media/114636/file/SOWC-2021-full-report-English.pdf (accessed March 01, 2025).
Heckman J. (2006) Skill Formation and the Economics of Investing in Disadvantaged Children. Science, vol. 312. pp. 1900–1902.
Zastrozhnikova I.(2019) Menedzhment osvitnikh merezh OTH v umovakh detsentralizatsii vlady v Ukraini [Management of educational networks of UTC in the context of decentralization of power in Ukraine]. Ekspert: paradyhmy yurydychnykh nauk i derzhavnoho upravlinnia, vol 4, pp. 150-157.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
