The objective of the study was to provide an outline of the values that principals, teachers and parents of preschool child care institutions consider important to be taught to children, and which activities, in their estimation, should be used to implement values education in child care institutions. A total of 978 respondents from all 15 Estonian counties returned the quantitative questionnaire, including 163 principals, 425 teachers, and 390 parents of preschool child care institutions. The statistical data analysis was applied to process the quantitative data obtained. The values that are more important to be taught to children, according to principals, include sense of humour as well as pride and inventiveness, whereas teachers value patience as a significantly more important value to be taught. Compared to principals, parents consider confidence and commitment more important, while, compared to teachers, parents consider it more important that kindergartens teach the importance of a good education. Values education in child care institutions takes place primarily in adherence to the relevant groupís rules in the course of everyday communication and activities. Personal role models are considered to be very important in values education.

For systematic implementation of value education in educational institutions, the national programme ìValues Development in Estonian Society 2009ñ2013î (Ministry of Education and Research, 2009) was prepared in Estonia. However, it was launched only in 2010, and the authors intended to ascertain the values of the heads of preschool child care institutions, teachers and parents as well as their conception of value education. The national programme was updated as ìValues Development in Estonian Society 2015ñ 2020î (Ministry of Education and Research 2015). In 2015, the researchers aimed to investigate if and how values of teachers of child care institutions and their conception of value education had changed. The sample in 2010 included nine respondents related to preschool child care institutions: three heads, three teachers, and three parents. The 2015 sample included 10 teachers. The research was conducted by using a qualitative method, which included semi-structured interviews and video observations of activities that teachers carried out with children. In 2010 and 2015, the values were said to be incorporated in general curricular goals and topics of the year. In 2010, the teachers said that values were not separately designated in the kindergarten curriculum; however, they were incorporated into the curriculum. They did not teach values as a separate discipline; values were highlighted in various activities and situation games. In 2015, it was mentioned that value education was consciously included in activities proceeding from the relevant schooling and education domain and the topic of the week. It may be said that in 2010 value education related topics had not been sufficiently introduced in kindergartens yet. Based on interviews and video observations conducted in 2015, it could be claimed that educators would benefit from a more deliberate approach to value education.

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The aim of the current study was to find out, what the values of Estonian preschool childcare institutions' principals, teachers, and parents. The Estonian language version of the Portrait Value Questionnaire, developed by S. H. Schwartz, was used as a research method. Altogether 978 respondents from all over Estonia participated in the study, including 163 preschool childcare institutions' principals, 425 teachers and 390 parents. The values of preschool principals, teachers, and parents were rather similar. In all groups, the highest evaluations were assigned to values related to benevolence (both caring and dependability) and the lowest to power (both dominance and resources). The results indicated that principals, compared to teachers, valued higher dominance and tolerance, while teachers gave higher evaluations to personal security and conforming to rules. Compared to principals and teachers, parents gave significantly higher evaluations to resources. Also, parents valued dominance higher than teachers and hedonism more than principals.