Pre-school education is not compulsory.

Pre-school education is provided from birth until the child starts pre-primary education.

Pre-school children are educated within the family if the parents/guardians so wish or in other cases provided for by law, within a pre-school education programme. The pre-school education curriculum is prepared in accordance with the Pre-school Curriculum Criteria Framework, the Pre-school Curriculum Guidelines and the Pre-school Achievement Inventory, which is an annex to the Pre-school Curriculum Guidelines. 

Pre-primary education is compulsory. Pre-primary education starts when a child reaches the age of 5[1]. It may begin later, at the discretion of the parents/guardians, but no later than when the child reaches the age of 6 years in any given calendar year

The purpose, aims and objectives, and competences to be developed, areas of achievement, content guidelines, achievement levels and the assessment of a child’s achievements during pre-primary education are set out in the General Framework for Pre-primary Education.

The purpose of pre-school education is to help the child to fulfil their natural, cultural, as well as ethnic, social and cognitive abilities, to develop the child’s cognitive skills, and to help them to prepare for the pre-primary education programme.

In the pre-school years, a child’s development is very rapid and variable, and each child’s growth is a series of smaller or larger steps of achievement, which are very important for teachers, educational support specialists and parents to notice and recognise. 

Areas of the child’s development

This Description includes expectations for the child to be healthy, dignified, communicative, curious, creative and successfully developing. They are designed to cover over eighteen areas of a child’s educational achievement. Relating a child’s achievement steps to age is variable. Each child is unique, with a different pace of development and different educational experiences, so children of the same age may naturally have different levels of achievement. These achievement areas include:

• daily life skills
• physical activity
• perception and expression of emotions
• self-regulation and self-control
• self-awareness and self-esteem
• relationships with adults and peers
• knowledge of the environment
• mathematical thinking
• digital skills
• understanding of languages
• linguistic expression
• aesthetic perception
• artistic expression
• creativity
• research
• problem solving
• ability to play
• ability to learn

Foreign language teaching 

Foreign language teaching is not compulsory in pre-school ECEC. However, most ECEC settings independently include the teaching of a foreign language, mostly English, in their curricula where 5 hours per week are devoted to teaching the state language to non-native speakers and children from mixed linguistic families. Digital literacy is not developed through a separate subject but, where possible, through the use of digital tools in the educational process.

Curriculum construction

The curriculum, that constructs each ECEC setting, is not divided into individual subjects and takes place in an integrated way. The number of minutes and hours that should be devoted to educational activities are not prescribed. Activities are integrated by considering the individual child’s development and the rhythm of life. Each group of the ECEC setting creates and follows a unique rhythm of life.

Pre-primary education is designed to help children develop their individual qualities and social skills, and to prepare them for success in primary education.

The competences developed are communication, cultural, creativity, cognitive, citizenship, digital, social, emotional and the healthy lifestyle. All competences are interlinked and developed in an integrated way. The results of their development are indicated in the descriptions of the development of the child’s achievements.

The curriculum has 6 areas of education: science, language, mathematics, art, social, health and physical. All areas are equivalent and are developed integrally with the competences.

The programme aims to meet the interests and maintain the well-being of children aged 5–6 years and to meet the individual and distinctive needs and potential of each child. The programme is based on play and experiential activities, the joy of discovery and a natural curiosity about the world around us, to enable children to develop the competences set out in the programme.

Foreign language 

Foreign language teaching is not compulsory in the pre-primary ECEC setting. However, most ECEC settings independently include the teaching of a foreign language, mostly English, in their curricula. Children who are native speakers of other languages or come from mixed families are taught Lithuanian according to special programmes. Children who attend ethnic minority ECEC settings or groups in ECEC settings and are taught not in the state language, Lithuanian, are taught for no less than five hours a week. 

Digital literacy is included in the Curriculum.

In pre-school and pre-primary education, educators are free to choose the forms and methods of pedagogical activity. It is important that the choice is in line with the provisions of modern education and is individualised. For example, the forms and methods of education would be adapted to a child with special educational needs. Also, the educator or the pedagogue should use balanced methods; for example, maintaining a balance between activities initiated by the educator and those initiated by the children themselves, using both structured and free forms.

Teachers choose appropriate teaching and learning methods, based on the age range of the pupils, the development of competences, needs and abilities, differences in learning styles, the socio-cultural context, a wide variety of learning opportunities, and by proposing different and appropriate learning paces, methods and techniques.

In the educational process, the educator chooses which educational tools to use – task books, toys, audio-visual tools, etc. Children are also educated using a variety of materials – water, clay, paper, cloth and so on. Animals can also be raised in the educational process, such as fish in an aquarium. Teaching tools, as well as methods, are freely chosen by the teacher. The tools are purchased by each educator from the funds allocated for education (these funds are included in the teaching funds). Parents do not pay extra for these.

In pre-schools, play is considered to be the main method of education. This method is seen as the child’s most natural state, helping them to develop, be creative, and active. Methods of observation, research, demonstration, conversation, narration, discussion, problem solving and project development are also applied. Dance and/or acting, music making and visual expressions are practised. Educators are recommended to use the approaches of encouragement, initiation and motivation, creative and interpretive tools, modelling, help and support, and other educational methods.

Legal acts do not specify specific teaching methods, but state certain requirements on the chosen teaching methods as follows:

• It must be possible for the child to act independently, to choose the necessary tools, activities and play with friends.
• Conditions should be created for the spread of each child’s critical thinking and creativity. The child must experience the joy and success of creation and discovery. Children in the educational process must be encouraged to solve problems, express and substantiate their opinions, and share their insights with peers and adults.
• There must be enough variety of educational means (if necessary – special teaching aids and/or technical aids), to encourage the child’s activity, curiosity, creativity and imagination.

In pre-school education teachers provide continuous motivation, engagement and nurturing feedback to the child. Children enjoy activities, discuss the process and the results of their activities, and learn to evaluate their own experiences and results. Their achievements and progress are discussed with the child’s parents/guardians at scheduled intervals and as needed.

Teachers record children’s achievements in everyday situations in everyday life, play and experiential activities.

Relatively speaking, there are two age periods: the child’s achievements from birth to three years of age and those from three to six years of age. Achievement monitoring helps teachers and educational support professionals to pay attention to each child’s developmental differences, needs, rapid progression or persistence, and to enable each child’s personal best to be achieved in the overall educational process.

Assessment of pupils’ achievement and progress aims to support their learning by providing feedback on their achievements and progress; enabling them to analyse their learning and make decisions about their future learning. 

To assess the achievement of the pre-primary general curriculum, there are three levels of achievement: up to basic level, basic level, above basic level. Achievement assessments are presented in a descriptive manner, with brief comments describing the pupil’s strengths, what has been achieved and what needs to be improved, and their achievements are collected and recorded in the pupil’s achievement inventory, in a folder or on digital media. The child’s cultural, creative, citizenship, digital, social, emotional and healthy living, cognitive and communication competencies are assessed.

The following assessment methods are used:

• Formative assessment: Feedback to promote, monitor and evaluate student progress in the educational process, helping the pupil to improve his/her learning, guiding what still needs to be learnt, and enabling the teacher to choose the most effective teaching methods to achieve the best possible results. One part of formative assessment is the assessment of the current situation, which helps the teacher to understand what the pupils already know and are able to do, and how to plan for further learning. Formative assessment is not about grades, but provides data on which the teacher provides qualitative feedback to the pupil about the next steps in his/her learning
• Self-assessment: Observing, evaluating and reflecting on a pupil’s own learning process, achievement and progress, in order to anticipate the next steps in their learning
• Summative assessment: Confirming a pupil’s achievement at the end of a topic, unit, course, module, programme. In pre-primary education, summative assessment assesses the child’s achievement at the end of the programme. Mid-term assessment may also be used as needed.

The teacher assesses the child’s educational progress and achievements in all the competences and areas of achievement described, discusses it with the parents/guardians and makes a recommendation. If the child’s development of all the competences is at or above the basic level of achievement, the child shall continue their education in the primary curriculum. If their expression of at least one of the competences is below the basic level of achievement, they will continue their education in pre-primary education.