ADJUSTMENT IN KINDERGARTEN

The scientific university project Children’s Well-being in Transitional Life Periods: Empirical Validation of the Ecological-Dynamic Model (uniri-drustv-18-11) was carried out from 2019 to 2024. The project involved 77 early childhood educators, 14 primary school teachers, 946 children and 302 parents. Moderate levels of difficulties during the transition were identified, as well as increased satisfaction with the transitions and the quality of cooperation with parents, early childhood educators and primary school teachers, and children’s perception of kindergarten/school is mostly positive. The analyzed Ecological-Dynamic Model of Transition was confirmed by determining the significance of all the aforementioned intra-personal and interpersonal factors, but with different directions of established correlations. One of the key findings of the previous UNIRI project: early childhood educators have indicated that there are no clear guidelines for organizing transitions and adjustments in nursery/kindergarten, as well as specific, high-quality educational activities that would facilitate transitions and adjustments and thereby consequently strengthen children’s well-being, and the development of positive relationships, attachment, adaptability, facilitate early learning, and cooperation with parents.