The Identity of Early Care Education

Kultura i identitet ustanove potječu iz zajedničkih stavova, normi, razmišljanja svih dionika odgojno obrazovnog procesa. Oni su dinamični procesi, koji se stalno mijenjaju i na koje se može utjecati, unapređivati ih. Strategije ustanove RPOO-a, vođenje ustanove, njena kultura, prostomo-materijalni i tehnički uvjeti rada, kurikulum, odgojno obrazovni proces i svi dionici tog procesa segmenti su funkcioniranja određene ustanove koji se mogu pratiti i mjeriti te pokazuju kvalitetu rada. U NKRPOO-u (2014), kao okvirnom dokumentu odgojno- obrazovnog sustava, kvalitetna odgojno-obrazovna praksa i kurikulum koji iz nje nastaje ostvaruje se iznutra, od odgojitelja i drugih stručnih djelatnika vrtića, za što je potrebno osigurati primjereno kontinuirano profesionalno učenje i razvoj. Ovaj rad je prikaz nalaza empirijskog istraživanja mišljenja i stavova odgojitelja o čimbenicima koji utječu na identitet ustanove RPOO, te što najviše pridonosi razvoju njene kvalitete. Cilj istraživanja je steći uvid u mišljenje ispitanika o identitetu ustanove i na kojim bi područjima kvalitete trebalo raditi kako bi se osigurao identitet ustanove koja kreće prema kvaliteti. Obradom podataka zaključuje se da prema mišljenju ispitanika odnosi, artefakti i efekt okruženja na koji dionici procesa nemaju nikakav utjecaj, suradnja s roditeljima i njegovanje tradicije utječu na identitet ustanove RPOO-a. Kvaliteti ustanove najviše pridonosi pedagoška kvaliteta (suradnja, usmjerenost na djecu, jednakopravnost, stručno usavršavanje), vanjski čimbenici (znanstvenici, vanjska struktura) i odgovornost (jasne uloge). Prema mišljenju sudionika najznačajniji aspekti prepoznatljivog identiteta ustanove RPOO-a su kreativnost odgojitelja, naziv vrtića i/ili odgojne skupine, prihvaćanju djece kao aktivnih dionika vlastitog odgoja i obrazovanja i njegovanju rituala kao što su prijelazi u školu ili postupak uključivanja djece u vrtić. Najmanje važnosti pridaje se zagovaranju jednakosti kao što je nošenje uniforma. Sudionici istraživanja procjenjuju da je izgrađivanje prepoznatljivog identiteta ustanove u velikoj je mjeri zadaća odgojitelja, odmah zatim stručno razvojne-službe i ravnatelja ustanove, a najmanje roditelja. Obradom podataka zaključeno je da nema statistički značajne razlike procjene pojedinih dimenzija kulture i identiteta ustanove RPOO-a u odnosu na dob i radno iskustvo sudionika istraživanja.The culture and identity of an institution is derived from mutual attitudes and norms of all employees. These dynamic, constantly changing processes, can be influenced and improved. Strategies of the early childhood and preschool institutions, management, culture, spatial material, technical conditions, curriculum, educational process including all participants, are parts of the activity that can be observed and measured in order to show work quality. In National Curriculum a document for early childhood and preschool education (2014) which is a framework in the process of education, exceptional educational practice, and the curriculum as a result of it, is realized from inside, from an educator and other professional employees in the kindergarten. To achieve these goals an adequate educational practice including professional learning and development is required. This work is an outline of the empiric research of opinions and attitudes carried out among educators, in order to explore the factors contributing an early childhood and preschool institution identity as well as development of its quality. The aim of the research is to gaining sight into the opinions of the participants about the institution identity and to find out the fields in which more effort is needed to ensure the identity of the institution moving towards quality. After the data have been processed it can be concluded that according to the opinion of the employee’s relations, artefacts, surrounding effects, not being affected by participants by any means, cooperation with parents, cherishing tradition have influence on identity of the early childhood and preschool institutions. The quality of the institution is increased mostly by pedagogical quality (cooperation, focusing on children, equality, professional training, external factors (scientists, external structure), and responsibility (clearly defined roles). According to the opinion of the participants the most significant aspects of a distinctive institution identity are creativity of the educators, the name of the kindergarten and/or the educational group accepting children as active participants in educational process and practising ritual such as a transitional period from kindergarten to school or the procedure of including children in kindergarten. The least important is given to advocacy for equality like wearing uniforms. The survey participants reckon that the process of developing a remarkable institution identity is mainly the assignment of educators, then pedagogical service and the principal of the institution, the least of parents. The conclusion after complete data processing is that there is no any significant difference in evaluation of culture aspects and identity of the early childhood and preschool institutions related to the age and work experience of the participants