Children’s rights in Hungary in early childhood education and care

Hungary was one of the first countries to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This commitment is enshrined into the Constitutional Act LXIV of 1991. Children’s rights can be found most comprehensively in the Act XXXI. of 1997 on Child Protection and Social Services Administration. This chapter outlines how children’s rights prevail in kindergarten practice in the Hungarian context. First, the understanding of children’s rights is addressed in view of policy and legislation and key government documents are highlighted that serve to frame and guide practice in early childhood institutions. In the second half of the chapter, the implementation of children’s rights is discussed and aspects of practice are outlined that aim to facilitate children practising their rights. The chapter concludes with emphasising the need for pedagogical materials to be embedded into kindergarten pedagogue training nationally to ensure children’s rights are embraced in institutional care.