Polycultural education and formation of ethnic tolerance of children in preschool educational establishment

Transcarpathia is a multinational region where Ukrainians, Hungarians, Romanians, Russians, Roma, Slovaks, Germans and other national minorities live on the area of 12900 km2, making this region unique and inimitable. Multinationality is a characteristic feature of the population of Transcarpathian region. According to the results of the All-Ukrainian Population Census of 2001, representatives of more than 100 nationalities and nations live on the territory of the region. Geographical position of the regionalso providesits uniqueness. Transcarpathia borders on Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania. In the north and north-east Transcarpathia borders on Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk regions. All above mentioned has a direct impact on the fact that the issues of national, polycultural, patriotic education, the formation of a positive, tolerant attitude towards representatives of different nationalities are originally actual on the territory of the region. Polycultural upbringing is focused on the upbringing of the individual, who, while preserving his(her) socio-cultural identity, aims to understand other cultures, respects other cultural and ethnic communities; knows how to live in peace and harmony with representatives of different nationalities, races, beliefs; is ready for active creative activity in a dynamic polycultural and multinational environment. Since up to 4 years old the child has the first signs of ethnic identity, it is advisably in this age to start work in this direction. Work with preschool age children on the formation of tolerance in intercultural communication should be integrated by its content, include information on local studies related to the history, culture, customs and life of the peoples of Transcarpathia , on ethics, aesthetics, ecology and to be accessible to their age perception. This publication reveals the possibilities of polycultural upbringing and the formation of ethnic tolerance of preschool children on the example of preschool institutions of Transcarpathia.