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Author:   Sarah Klaus (Georgetown University, USA) ,  Jan Peeters ,  Tatjana Vonta
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Bloomsbury Academic
Dimensions:   Width: 15.00cm , Height: 1.60cm , Length: 23.20cm
Weight:   0.420kg
ISBN:  

9781350257856

ISBN 10:   1350257850
Pages:   282
Publication Date:   22 January 2026
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
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Table of Contents

Preface Foreword Introduction: Building Democracy Through Early Childhood Education Part I: Why Invest in Early Childhood During a Political Transformation Process Towards Democracy? 1. ‘Everything was Planned’: Early Childhood Education in Former Socialist Countries before and during their Transition 2. ‘It Was Just a Magic Time’: Investing in Early Childhood to Build Democratic Societies Part II: Inventing a Democratic Pedagogy 3. ‘Who Says We Can’t Change the World?’: Implementing the Step by Step Program 4. ‘The Teachers Believed in Us’: How Teachers, Parents and Children Experienced the Programs 5. ‘Slowly We are Getting There’: Creating Opportunities for Children Experiencing Exclusion 6. ‘Don’t Think That it Won’t Happen’: Young Children in Times of War Part III: Extending and Sustaining Democratic Pedagogy Through Civil Society Networks and Expansion to New Regions 7. ‘The Seed Beneath the Snow’: The Growth of National and Regional Professional Early Childhood Networks 8. ‘Surprised and Thrilled’: Rolling Out the Programs Part IV: Transforming Early Childhood Education Systems 9. ‘This is Yours’: Successful Transformations of Early Childhood Education Systems Conclusion 10. ‘Systems Change When People Change’: Lessons Learned from Long-Term Investing in Early Childhood Annexes Annex 1. Biographies of Interviewees and Focus Group Participants Annex 2. Methodology: Oral History Interview and Desk Review of Evaluations, Reports and Documents

Reviews

""In the face of insurmountable obstacles generated by poverty in low democracy states this is a book that provides hope through a remarkable insight into how the Open Society contributed to global early childhood education (ECE). Over a period of three decades from the 1990s it follows the work of the Step by Step programme. The authors have captured how systemic support for ECE can help ameliorate inequality for young children. A must read for anyone wanting to see how sustainable change is possible."" --Iram Siraj OBE, Professor of Child Development, University of Oxford, UK ""What sparked the transformative wave in early childhood education across Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe, and the former Soviet Union after the fall of the Berlin Wall? Dive into a compelling first-hand narrative that chronicles the journey of the Step by Step program from model kindergartens to a global movement, championing inclusive, creative, and democratic learning environments. An essential read for anyone passionate about the power of education in shaping open societies."" --Iveta Silova, Professor and Associate Dean of Global Engagement, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University, USA ""The encouraging message of this book is strengthening early childhood practitioners' readiness for change, dealing with resistance to change and creating inclusive, democratic and qualitative education for young children. Although this book explores Step by Step and Open Society's Early Childhood Program, the content, different topics and theoretical analysis have a universal application in the phenomenology of transforming ECEC in general."" --Lidija Miskeljin, University of Belgrade, Serbia

Author Information

Sarah Klaus is Adjunct Assistant Professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Child and Human Development, USA, and an independent Advisor and Consultant to foundations, international agencies and NGOs. Jan Peeters is a Senior Researcher and Consultant, based in Belgium, working with Innovations in the Early Years and Fair Start Stories, the European Commission and UNICEF, including in Eastern European countries. Tatjana Vonta, now retired, was Senior Researcher and Head of the Step by Step Centre at the Educational Research Institute, an Associate Professor at the University of Primorska, Slovenia.

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