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European Journal of Education Studies ISSN: 2501 - 1111 ISSN-L: 2501 - 1111 Available on-line at: www.oapub.org/edu Volume 3 │ Issue 8 │ 2017 doi: 10.5281/zenodo.843498 THE COOPERATION BETWEEN THE PRESCHOOL INSTITUTIONS AND PARENTS ABOUT THE CHILDREN’S PORTFOLIOS – A CASE STUDY Adelina Hajrullahu1i, Lena Damovska2 PhD candidate, Pedagogical Faculty, 1 University of Skopje, Macedonia Prof. Dr., Teaching Assistant, Faculty of Education, 2 University of Prishtina, Kosova Abstract: The cooperation between the Preschool Institutions and the parents whose children attend these institutions is an important issue. We say so, because, as we know, children are very sensitive and they have complex needs. The children’s development has several stages, and pedagogues (Vygotsky, Commenius, Dewei, Bruner, etc.) have given different ideas concerning these stages. People who work with children should be familiar with all of them. We suppose that educators who work with children know the stages of the children’s development, but it is very important for the parents to be familiar with them as well. The cooperation between the PIs and the parents, the modalities of cooperation in Kosovo as well as the cooperation about the portfolios are just some of the issues treated in this article. Keywords: children, parents, cooperation, preschool institutions, portfolio 1. Introduction Early childhood education is complex, sensitive and with rapid changes in the children’s overall well-being. Based on the recent studies on early childhood development, e.g. those by Tim Waller (2005), it is emphasized that most of the brain connections are developed very rapidly in early childhood, especially in the first three Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved. © 2015 – 2017 Open Access Publishing Group 601 Adelina Hajrullahu, Lena Damovska THE COOPERATION BETWEEN THE PRESCHOOL INSTITUTIONS AND PARENTS ABOUT THE CHILDREN’S PORTFOLIOS – A CASE STUDY years. These facts should convince us that early childhood is very important for all the people. Another important thing in this stage of development is the children’s portfolios which are included in the preschool institutions. One of the definitions of the portfolio is given by Eric: The portfolio is a record of the child’s process of learning: what the child has learned and how he has gone about learning: how he thinks, how he makes questions, analyzes, synthesizes, produces, creates and how he interacts – intellectually, emotionally and socially – with others. (Grace, Cathy, 1992). Lee and Bowen (2006, cited in Hartas, 2010) thinks that the portfolio is a statement of purpose and a wide variety of work samples, including successive drafts of work on particular projects. In this article, we are concentrated on the relationship between the Preschool Institutions and the family as two primary institutions for the children’s education in early childhood with emphasis on their cooperation about the portfolios. From our research, we understand that all the children in preschool institutions have their portfolios. Another issue that poses a problem for the preschool education in our country concerns the number of preschool institutions. So far, there are only 42 public and a relatively large number of private preschool institutions whose exact number remains unknown because there is no research about them. In Kosovo, the MEST statistics indicate that the number of children included in the preschool institutions is symbolic, under 12%. Therefore, most of the children stay at home being looked after by their family members such as the grandfather, the grandmother, the uncle, the aunt, etc., or by the baby-sitter. This situation is the consequence of the Law on Preschool Education because only children who are 5 years old are obligated to attend the preschool class. Now, according to the MEST statistics, the percentage of children from 5 to 6 years old included in the preschool classes within the primary schools is about 75%. After 1999, several private preschool institutions were established, but as mentioned above, there is no research, and subsequently, no statistics about them. Parents do not only have the right to be given information concerning the programs and their children, but also the right for cooperation in planning life and work in the kindergarten and its departments as well as the right for active cooperation in educational activities. (T. Devjak, S. Berqnik, 2009, LYPE). For downloading the full article, please access the following link: http://oapub.org/edu/index.php/ejes/article/view/958 European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 3 │ Issue 8 │ 2017 602