Leadership in Early Childhood Development and Education

Duration: 2 years
Language of instruction: Russian
Format: On-campus, 5 on-campus modules (each for 2 weeks) + online tutorship
Special conditions: tuition fee waivers available
Awards:
- MEd in Leadership in Early Childhood Development and Education (University of Manchester, UK)
- Certificate of Professional Retraining "Education Management" (MSSES, Russia)

This is the only program in Russia for training managers in the field of preschool education, which was developed by well-known international and Russian experts, authors of popular programs of preschool education, the Federal standard and the system of independent assessment of the quality of Russian preschool education.

Progressive models of preschool education, especially those used in the Scandinavian tradition, convincingly show that the early development of a child is by no means limited to ensuring its school readiness, and the training of managers in this area is fundamentally different from the training of school managers. Features of preschool age require appropriate conditions for the education of young children; one should be able to create these conditions.

The program of training in preschool education management in Shaninka focuses on the development of the child, the formation of his initiative, independence, creativity, responsibility and other important qualities for his future.

The main task that Shaninka graduates successfully solve at the end of the program is to create an educational environment in preschool institutions where children can fully live their childhood, develop in different directions without coercion, on the basis of children's interest and involvement, with the underlying emotional well-being of the child.

Who is this program intended for?

the employees of the Department of preschool education, heads of preschool institutions;
employees of regional institutes of professional development;
instructors of pedagogical and psychological universities who specialize in pre-school education and early childhood development;
researchers in the field of preschool education for pedagogical universities and early development centers;

specialists in the field of inclusive education, in a broad sense: those who work with children with special physical and mental development, intercultural and inter-age communication, rejection of gender stereotypes;
kindergarten instructors and managers who have first-hand experience with the daily challenges of preschool education.

Most of the students are sent to be trained in the program by the regional and municipal authorities of the Russian Federation. Regular partners and customers of the program are the departments of education of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, Krasnoyarsk and Yaroslav, the regions with a strong pedagogical school.

The program also includes students who have independently chosen this area of the master's program at the University of Manchester. Students from other countries (the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, the Republic of Kazakhstan, and others) often attend the program.

How does the program work?

The program of pre-school education management in Shaninka consists of 3 specializations, 4 compulsory and 4 optional educational courses, which students can choose depending on their needs or professional specifics.

Main specializations:

Leadership (management, educational policy and planning in modern preschool education)

In the British sense, leadership is interpreted as guidance, knowledge of the theory of change and the ability to change something in the practice of management. In addition, employees of preschool institutions often have to communicate with various stakeholders - parents, officials, partners and sponsors. Therefore, for students who have chosen this specialization, there are blocks related to the development of leadership skills and the art of communication. An important part of management is managing the quality of preschool education and planning changes based on the information received. A separate course is devoted to the financial aspects of preschool institutions.

Inclusion

In addition to the traditional understanding of inclusion as working with children with disabilities or special needs, the program at Shaninka includes a block on intercultural education-creating an inclusive environment for children from different cultures and social groups — and early development of children from birth to 3 years of age. This is due to the fact that nursery groups are increasingly created on the basis of regular kindergartens.

Quality of modern preschool education

In this area, the program trains specialists who will lead the work on research and quality assessment in the preschool education system, and also have the competence to conduct research on any problems of modern preschool education that are relevant to the tasks set for the system. Such specialists are in demand not only in research centers and institutes, in pedagogical universities, and in early development centers. this competence is in demand by leaders of change, who are faced with the need to make responsible management and project decisions based on research results. Among the creators and experts of the program are specialists who themselves are architects of innovations in the preschool education system, the development of an inclusive environment, etc. Therefore, research work is considered as an absolutely necessary cross-cutting component that is relevant for various responsible positions in the field of preschool education.

Each of the offered specializations implies a ready-made set of courses and disciplines that will most reliably — from the point of view of experts and instructors of Shaninka — ensure the interests of those with whom students who have chosen this specialization work.

Compulsory courses	Optional courses
Development of the child from birth to school entry Modern models of preschool education. Analysis of international practice methods of social research in preschool education Leadership that changes the world	1. Inclusion and early intervention Young children 0-3 years old. Early intervention Preschool inclusive education for children with special needs Preschool inclusive education for children from different cultures and social backgrounds Interpersonal communication
	2. Quality of modern preschool education Play in the preschool years International experience in developing pre-school education programs and their implementation Tools for improving the quality of preschool education and professional development of instructors
	3. Management, educational policy and planning in modern preschool education Innovations in the financing of preschool education in Russia Educational policies, systems, and partnerships in early childhood education Tools for improving the quality of preschool education and the professional development of instructors Interpersonal communication

In fact, choosing the courses of your choice is not an easy task, since the focus of all of them is very relevant for a modern specialist in the field of preschool education at any level. I found a balance for myself. I chose courses that had long been the focus of my professional interests (I wanted to discuss many aspects in the course, and in this case, I had a good idea of the research base for working on the essay), as well as courses that were initially quite new and uncertain for me, for example, inclusive education. In the second case, I saw it as a good opportunity to understand complex issues, read more literature, communicate with people who have experience in this field, and learn new tools. Specialized courses provided skills in working with tools for assessing the quality of preschool education; designing and evaluating preschool programs.

Galina Sergeeva, 2019 graduate

However, the choice of educational courses remains absolutely free — if the kindergarten manager wants to understand the inclusive approach or understand more deeply what the game is, he can freely add the relevant disciplines to his curriculum.

Every year, the program managers review the content of the program in accordance with the current requirements of the time, legislation, new research data and priorities of educational policy. Therefore, the only program in Russia for training managers in the field of preschool education for 8 years remains the most relevant.

Who teaches the program?

The principle underlying the program is to attract the specialists, who may be the role models for the students who would like to learn to change the situation. As a rule, many of them are qualified in the field of psychology, since it is important to understand the features of early and pre-school childhood in order to effectively implement pre-school education programs.

The developers and the instructors of the program are:

Elena Yudina, a research programme manager, the head of the Department of preschool education at MSSES, the world Bank expert, the author of the Federal Education Standard of the pre-school education (2013), the author of the system of independent quality assessment of preschool education
Elena Lenskaya, an associate professor at the faculty of management in education MSSES, Director of the center for the study of educational policy MSSES
Elena Fedorenko - Dean of the faculty of management in education, Moscow State University of Economics
Tatiana Vonta - head of the national program for advanced training of preschool instructors, member of the International Association Step by Step ISSA, Slovenia
Olga Shiyan is a leading researcher at the child development laboratory of the Moscow city University of MSPU. The author of a new methodology for assessing the quality of preschool education in Russia.
Ulviya Mikayilova, Professor at ADA University, Republic of Azerbaijan, member of the International Association Step by Step ISSA
Lyudmila Elkoninova, an associate professor of the Department of age psychology named after Professor L. F. Obukhova, faculty of educational psychology, MSPPU
Cassie Landers, Professor, Columbia University, New York, USA
Stephen Seifer, an expert on preschool education and early childhood development, USA, World Bank expert.
Irina Bykadorova, the head of the University of Childhood program (Rybakov Foundation initiative)
Elizaveta Krichevets, an instructor at the Higher School of Economics
Tatyana Justus, an associate professor of the Department of human resource management at the Siberian Federal University
Tigran Shmis, a senior specialist, the World Bank
Natalia Shadrina, the Deputy Director for regional development, ANO the Institute of educational policy problems Eureka

In a region like Yamalo, there are few opportunities to communicate with developers of modern approaches in the field of preschool education. Studying at Shaninka allowed me not only to communicate — but also to work together with some of the leading researchers of child psychology and pedagogy! Now I work as a Deputy head of a kindergarten and train instructors who work here. In our kindergarten, we have developed a project to develop the leadership skills of instructors. The course on inclusion in Shaninka was very useful for me — today our kindergarten is attended by 48 children with disabilities. And in 2020, I decided to run for Deputy of The city Duma as a representative of the interests of education workers — this area employs the largest number of employees in the city. In my opinion, the qualities that I acquired in Shaninka will help me work with dignity not only for the benefit of one kindergarten but also for the whole city.

Olesya Litvinova, 2017 graduate of the program

Features of training on the program

Most of the program's participants are active specialists in the education system. Training is organized in a full-time and part-time format, which allows you to pass it on-the-job. During the course of the program, there are 5 face-to-face sessions for 2 weeks each and remote support in the intervals between sessions.
If you are working on your own research, teaching, or management project in the field of preschool education, training can be structured in such a way as to provide your project with the necessary theoretical and research base. Training exercises can also be created in such a way that they will take into account the tasks of individual research projects of students.
Another advantage of studying with colleagues from different regions is the opportunity to keep abreast of current changes and projects in the preschool education system throughout Russia. As students of the program, all participants present projects and ideas that they implement in their institutions. The projects and research that participants complete as part of their essays and master's papers represent the most recent data bank in the field of preschool education. The relevance of the collected data is one of the main requirements of experts for the work of students.
Master of Education in Leadership in Early Childhood Development and Education, University of Manchester, one of the leading European universities.

When I first came to the program, I could not understand why, instead of telling us how to actually do it, the instructors were waiting for answers from us and kept throwing in topics for discussion. It seemed like a waste of time to me. But by the end, I was convinced that this was the reason why we have learned something.

Elizaveta Krichevets, 2014 graduate

Forms of Education

Training in the program includes a large number of interactive classes, discussions, debates, design and many other diverse formats of group work.

Organizational activity game

An organizational activity game is a three-day intensive event in an informal setting, during which students get to know each other and immerse themselves in the problems of preschool education.
At the end of the intensive course, participants must find the research topic they are interested in and choose the courses they want to study in the program.
As a rule, a thematic course opens when at least 6 people have signed up for it. Therefore, another important task of the organizational activity game is team building - an attempt to find like-minded people among fellow students and understand how many of them are interested in this or that aspect of learning.
Intensive training takes place in the form of game tasks. One of the simplest is to offer your vision of the ideal or, conversely, the worst kindergarten, which is submitted for discussion by the group. By colliding different views and positions, the participants of the game find a common value framework, on the basis of which training groups are formed.
The ability to ask any questions to course instructors during the intensive course helps students make a meaningful choice of training modules, and experts — to understand the attitudes and needs of program participants.

Expert sessions and internships

are held in the best preschool institutions in Moscow and the regions
The program provides 2 formats of internships:

visiting interesting pre-school institutions — such as the kindergarten at the Moscow school of self-determination named after Tubelsky. For several days, students get acquainted with how the best kindergartens in Moscow are organized, attend classes, observe the internal schedule and the work of instructors;
and two-week sessions in specialized preschool institutions — for example, inclusive kindergartens, in the regions as well as in Moscow. A long-term internship in a special educational environment helps to understand how an inclusive environment is formed in preschool, how children with special needs are recruited, how many of them should be in relation to the total number of children in the group, how to work with special children and parents of healthy children, so that an inclusive environment is a source of development, and not conflicts, for different participants.

Direct participation in the work of preschool institutions is an opportunity to learn in practice the ideas and techniques obtained during training in MSSES.

Students participate in the international conference "Trends in education development»

"Trends in education development" is one of the largest professional events for Russian and foreign specialists in the field of preschool, school and professional education. The conference is annually attended by heads of regional ministries of education, leading Russian universities, institutes and charitable foundations, experts and heads of leading universities of the world.
During the training, students of the program participate in the conference twice. In the first year of training - as ordinary participants of round tables of the conference, and in the second year they act as authors of their own research and speakers.
The preparation of reports and presentations at the conference is also part of the training program. Together with the instructors and experts of Shaninka, students learn to present the results of their research so that the reports find a response in the professional community and receive interesting feedback.

We also visited Moscow kindergartens and practiced our expert skills. Especially valuable for me was a visit to the kindergarten "school of self-determination No. 734 named after A. N. Tubelsky" within the framework of the conference. There was a very deep immersion in the practice of kindergarten, the opportunity to ask all the questions you are interested in. After that, during the sessions in Shaninka, my colleagues and I visited the kindergarten several times on our own initiative. We keep in touch with the kindergarten instructors even now. The expansion of professional connections is a powerful effect of the training. In my opinion, the task of the program developers to form a community works one hundred percent.

Galina Sergeeva, a graduate of 2019

Training results

Graduates of the program receive 2 diplomas:

Russian diploma of the Moscow higher school of social and economic Sciences on professional retraining in the direction of "Management»
British masters degree from the University of Manchester with a degree Master of Education in Leadership in Early Childhood

Development and Education *According to the decree of the RF Government from 30.12.2015 N 2777-R "On approval of the list of foreign educational organizations that issue documents on education and (or) qualification recognized in the Russian Federation", master's diploma provided by the University of Manchester recognized as equivalent to master's diploma issued by the universities of the Russian Federation

What do graduates of the program do?

they head centers for the development of preschool education in regional departments and instructor training institutes;
participate in the development of inclusive education programs for kindergartens and early development centers;
participate in the development of municipal and regional programs for the development of kindergartens and the development of educational programs for preschool institutions themselves;
they supervise retraining and professional development programs for preschool instructors in their regions;
conduct research on the quality of preschool education and develop models for its development at the municipal and regional levels

The majority of students are directed to be trained in the program by regional ministries of education and institutes of instructor training, and after training, many of them head the branches of regional departments responsible for pre-school education.

Graduates of the program participate in the elaboration of municipal programs for the development of kindergartens, innovative educational projects for retraining employees of preschool institutions in their region.

Our regional Institute of advanced training had a Department for preschool education — then everyone was waiting for the release of the standard for preschool education and understood that there would be a lot of work. The rector of the Institute planned to allocate preschool in a separate division — and I was invited to the Institute to create such a center. The program in Shaninka had just opened - only 3 places were allocated to the Krasnoyarsk territory, and the Institute sent me to study.

Lyudmila Obrosova, head of the preschool education center at the Krasnoyarsk Institute of advanced training

In the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous district, graduates of the program, together with Shanika experts, are developing a regional network retraining program that will help their local colleagues gain the competencies that the graduates possess. This program is developed according to the school improvement model, when each preschool institution analyzes its own problems and limitations, makes a development plan based on its own unique context, and attracts more experienced colleagues to solve them and develop professionally.

The projects of the program's graduates — research, work projects, and local development programs - represent a huge database of current innovations in Russian preschool education. And close ties within the community of Shaninka graduates give an idea of the full picture of the development of preschool education throughout Russia.

Tuition fees and discounts for applicants

The total cost of training: 230,000 rubles.

If the regional Department of education or the Institute of advanced training sends several students for training, discounts may be provided.

There is also a system of discounts for individuals.

Experts of the faculty of management in the field of education of Shaninka participate in the activities of the initiative by Rybakov Foundation the "University of childhood" . The "University of childhood" holds an annual competition named after L. S. Vygotsky, the purpose of which is to find, support and popularize bright, creative Russian specialists in preschool education. The winners can receive financial support when applying for training in MSSES (Shaninka).

Contact Us

8 (495) 150-80-92
elenacherkashina@universitas.ru

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