Preschool Education in Türkiye from Past to Present

Abstract

The pre-school period is an important period in which significant progress is made in the development of the child and the construction of the future is made. Pre-school education has always been important in Türkiye and different studies have been carried out in each period. These studies have focused on the value and importance given to the child. As a matter of fact, before Turkey become a republic country in 1923, the child was seen as an important person who would shape the future and the importance of the family was emphasized in the education of the child. Before the Republic, different educational institutions were opened for the education of children. These developments continued in the Seljuk period and the early periods of the Ottoman Empire. After the proclamation of the Republic, primary education was given more importance due to the conditions of the country. Initiatives for the education of children were discussed in development plans and National Education Councils. At the same time, importance was given to the family education. During these developments, programs were created in parallel with the development of the period and priority was given to the training of teachers. Considering these topics, in this study, pre-school education in Türkiye, the development of the pre-school education program and pre-school teacher training are to be discussed.