European principles of pre-school education and upbringing are based primarily on the necessary care and nursing of children, which does not end at a younger age, but mostly extends to preschool age. The paper presents the tendencies and the laws that the European Union adopts when it comes to preschool education, butalso how differences occur between countries, as well as what are the differences and similarities compared to education and upbringing of preschoolers in the Republic of Serbia. The paper is based on the teachings and principles of the most influential pedagogues, methodologists, didactics of the 19th and 20th centuries, who with their observations, examples and demands mostly influenced the shaping of European education and the conception of preschool and school institutions. Although the work implies preschool education in Europe, the way it is organized and understood, does not bypass the most important requirements and paths that European institutions follow, which are crucial for proper teaching and proper development of children of all ages

preschool education in Europe, preschool programs, preschool institutions, preschool education in Serbia.