Preschool Education in an International Context

Findings of an Erasmus+ Higher Education Transatlantic Project

Absztrakt

Internationalization in higher education has become a priority worldwide. Accordingly, the European Union Erasmus+ program has become fairly successful as it offers a great opportunity for the stakeholders of higher education to participate in various mobility and international collaboration programs. The present study is aimed to focus on a part of KA107 Erasmus+ transatlantic project, during which two early childhood care facilities were observed: a Little Eagles Learning Center (Florida, USA) and a Central Preschool in the Northern Great Plain region of Hungary. The observation data were collected by an American and a Hungarian professor in the summer of 2022. One of the main results of the content analyses to detect similarities and differences in the observed institutions is a universal need for children to feel safe. It was also found that a wide range of age-relevant, well-designed activities are essential to enhance and motivate preschool children’s cognitive and psychological development as well as their creativity.