ABSTRACT

Quality child development is enhanced by quality relationships among adults who interact within the child's environment. In preschool settings, numerous factors contribute to the quality of relationships between parents and early childhood educators (hereafter EC educators), including two-way open communication, mutual trust, voluntary parental engagement, aligned values regarding child upbringing and education, and a shared focus on the child's well-being. These factors result in joint actions by parents and early childhood educators, facilitating a developmental process evolving from cooperation to partnership. The results of a case study conducted in a mixed-age educational group (children aged 3-7 years) in an urban preschool in Brod-Posavina County, involving 8 parents and an early childhood educator, highlight changes in the educational process of the group during two academic years, 2021/2022 and 2022/2023. Analysis of interviews with the early childhood educator, parent focus groups, and photographic documentation of collaborative activities shows that the early childhood educator's interventions stimulated active, voluntary parental engagement. It also shows that parents and the early childhood educator share the goal of achieving a high-quality educational setting and holistic child development. The essential foundation and catalyst for this positive shift in the development of partnerships between parents and early childhood educators lies precisely in the shared recognition of the importance of mutual relationships. This recognition ultimately results in partnerships guided by a common goal and shared interest, the well-being of the child.

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