ABSTRACT
The article provides an overview of the organisation and development of preschool education in Estonia, which serves as the basis for current legal regulations and quality assurance. The educational system has been shaped by several different social orders and the democratization of education after Estonia regained independence in 1991. Estonian preschool childcare institutions can implement a curriculum that they have developed themselves and that is based on the child-centred approach. Research has demonstrated that the national curriculum policy has supported teachers in developing and implementing their preschool curriculum. A major challenge facing preschool education is the advancement of the principles of multiculturalism and of the teaching and learning of Estonian as the second language in preschool childcare institutions. Estonia has successfully implemented language immersion programmes in kindergartens that should be implemented more in connection with increasing migration.
