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The article deals with the opportunities of modern education of preschool-age children. Scientific research proving that preschool childhood is a special period important for child’s purposeful and high-quality education and his/her life both in present and in future has been discussed. The issues that are important for the expression of child’s development, the opportunities of social, cultural, creative and other potential have been reviewed. The concept of modern education in the preschool sector is inseparable from the aims and objectives set in the European and Lithuanian strategic documents of education, from changes that are taking place in this sector. Teacher’s professionalism, appropriately selected methods of education, educational environment friendly to child’s self-expression, educational innovations applied, “new” pedagogical relations not only with children but also with parents have been presented in the article as a basis of modern education of preschool-age children.

The article deals with the opportunities of modern education of preschool-age children. Scientific research proving that preschool childhood is a special period important for child’s purposeful and high-quality education and his/her life both in present and in future has been discussed. The issues that are important for the expression of child’s development, the opportunities of social, cultural, creative and other potential have been reviewed. The concept of modern education in the preschool sector is inseparable from the aims and objectives set in the European and Lithuanian strategic documents of education, from changes that are taking place in this sector. Teacher’s professionalism, appropriately selected methods of education, educational environment friendly to child’s self-expression, educational innovations applied, “new” pedagogical relations not only with children but also with parents have been presented in the article as a basis of modern education of preschool-age children.

The article deals with the problems of the development of future preschool and pre-primary education teachers’ creativity in study process, actualizes the importance of the development of a future professional’s creativity as one of the soft skills in the context of the challenges of modern transformations of the society, change in education, reforms in teacher training, presents theoretical interpretations of the concept of creativity, analyses the results of the research on the potential, expression and development of future childhood pedagogues’ creativity in study process, substantiating existing general problems and the importance of necessary changes in developing learners’ creativity in closely related cycles of high school and university education. The article emphasizes the need for enhancing responsibility, motivation for study quality and development of skills necessary for professional activity not only in teachers but also in students themselves.

The article deals with a modern concept of children’s preschool education and scientific research meant to substantiate a positive impact of high-quality preschool education on a child’s life and his/her academic achievements in future. The analysis of foreign and national sources, research and strategic documents on education focusing on the evaluation of essential changes in the sector of preschool education and the discussion of the prospects of institutional preschool education has been conducted. The issues that must inevitably become a part of the work schedule of the Lithuanian education policy have been distinguished: accessibility of educational institutions, high quality (self-)education, the necessity of help for a child belonging to a risk group, ensuring education and social services for families and children in poverty, education of talented and gifted children, the situation of (self-)education of children in rural areas and other issues that are important for the practice of children’s (self-)education of today.