Environmental Education on Sustainable Principles in Kindergartens—A Foundation or an Option?

Abstract

Preschool education plays an important role because it lays the foundation for a child’s cognitive, social, and emotional development and shapes responsible and informed individuals. Early childhood education teaches values such as sustainability, environmental protection, and social responsibility. By integrating sustainability into preschool education, we are cultivating an environmentally conscious generation that will contribute to a more sustainable and resilient future. The aim of this study was to determine if there are differences in attitudes and knowledge about various aspects of sustainability (such as gardening, plants, food and proper nutrition, and waste recycling) among children attending two different kindergarten educational programs (ecological and language programs). The study was conducted using the F2F-PAPI survey method and included 58 children aged 4 to 6 years. The results showed that children from the ecological program had greater knowledge of sustainability topics than children whose program focused on early foreign language learning (t(44) = 12.542, p = 0.000). Taking into account the desirable diversity of different educational programs in kindergartens, the results suggest that it is necessary to include environmental education to a greater extent as a foundation in the curricula of mandatory regular programs if we are to achieve some of the key sustainable development goals.