Readiness of preschool educators for professional development and training

Aim: To investigate early childhood teachers’ readiness for professional development. Methods: We surveyed 150 early childhood educators from Croatia through an online two-part questionnaire. The first part collected general information about the respondents, while the second focused on the self-assessment of readiness for professional development. We analyzed the data with descriptive statistics. Results: Overall, respondents had a high level of readiness for professional development (mean = 4.21 [range = 1–5], standard deviation = 0.54). There were no statistically significant age or work experience-based differences in educators’ readiness for professional development. Educators who were in permanent employment and had completed a graduate degree appeared readier for professional development. Conclusion: Early childhood teachers showed readiness for professional development and training regardless of age, employment status, work experience, or educational attainment