The development of professional learning communities (PLCs) in the field of early childhood education and care (ECEC) that foster a culture of collaboration, co-creation, evaluation, and critical reflection is important for the emergence of sustainable innovations in the field (Jensen & Iannone, 2018). Such communities benefit from the continuous organisation of collaborative, reflective, and research-oriented professional learning activities by preschool counsellors (pedagogists and psychologists) (Cherrington & Thornton, 2015; Tam, 2024). Developing reflective and research-based practices in preschool institutions (PIs) requires allocating workplace time, space, and resources, including providing techniques and tools. As part of the process, critical reflection and action are conducted through dialogue with the guidance of preschool counsellors who act as a facilitator (Bolinger & Stanton, 2014; Cherrington & Thornton, 2015; Đerić, 2022; Machost & Stains, 2023; Tam, 2024; Thornton & Cherrington, 2019). In addition to cognitive support, critical reflection requires facilitators to foster mutual respect, trust, and a sense of security within relationships among practitioners in the community (Đerić, 2022; Isik-Ercan & Perkins, 2017; Marshall et al., 2022; Ševa, Đerić & Čolaković, 2024). The facilitator should also build practitioners' confidence in their capacity to learn and improve (Šarić & Šteh, 2017).

Research Subject

This study is focused on the relationship between reform changes in the ECEC system in Serbia and the development of professional learning communities in current practice to support the sustainability of these reforms.

Research Context

The novel concept of ECEC system, defined in the overarching document Preschool Curriculum Framework "Years of Ascent", was gradually introduced into preschool institutions in Serbia between 2019 and 2022. ECEC curriculum promotes supporting the child's well-being by engaging in meaningful relationships with peers, adults, and the physical environment, as well as encouraging active participation in the community of peers and adults. This reform initiative required changes to educational policy documents to align practitioners' work with the new concept of education and care. One of these documents is the Rulebook on Competency Standards for Counsellors in Preschool Institutions and Their Professional Development (2021). According to this rulebook, preschool counsellors play a leading role in the complex, nonlinear, and continuous process of institutional development, practice transformation, and creating a learning community culture in preschool institutions. However, reforms in educational policy documents alone will not be sufficient to achieve reforms in practice, particularly in light of the scale of the reform initiative in ECEC implemented in Serbia. Consequently, preschool counsellors received continuous systemic support during the four-year ECEC reform [1]. This included training on implementing the FP "Years of Ascent", app six-months mentoring programs within institutions, participation in two professional learning and development programs focused on reflective practice, and professional consultations for facilitating and leading changes in practice after the reforms concluded. Given that preschool counsellors are recognised as major partners in sustaining the effects of reforms within preschool institutions, this qualitative study aims to analyse the beliefs and experiences of professional associates as facilitators of reflective practice within the context of learning communities after introducing policy changes.

[1] Implementation of the new curricula framework was supported by the Capacity Building Programme (CBP), under the project of the Ministry of Education (MoE) of the Republic of Serbia, “Inclusive Early Childhood Education and Care” (part of the subcomponent 2.1.), supported by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The CBP is developed in cooperation of the MoE, UNICEF and the Institute for Pedagogy and Andragogy of the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade. Data from this study is collected as a part of framework for monitoring and evaluation of the Capacity Building Programme.

This paper addresses the following research questions: 1. How do preschool counsellors view preschool institutions (PIs) as professional learning communities promoting reflective practice? 2. What are the experiences of preschool counsellors in fostering reflective practice in PIs as learning communities before and after the reform process? 3. How do preschool counsellors perceive their professional competencies in fostering reflective practice in a professional learning community? The study involved school counsellors from PIs divided into four cohorts based on the year they began implementing the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) "Years of Ascent" program (2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022) in Serbia. Twelve school counsellors participated in this study, with three representatives from each cohort, ensuring equal distribution across different regions of Serbia. Data was collected through individual semi-structured online interviews conducted in January 2025. The survey covered several topics, such as how reflective practice can be developed within a learning community within PIs from the perspectives of institutional structure and culture, counsellor competencies, collaboration with ECEC professionals, inquiry-based practices within ECEC contexts, etc. Each interview lasted an average of 90 minutes. All interviews were transcribed, and the qualitative content analysis method was employed (Elo & Kyngäs, 2009).The data were coded inductively in several steps: reading the material, defining categories individually and collaboratively, and reaching a final consensus among the three researchers involved in the study.

Preliminary analysis indicates that preschool counsellors strongly believe reflective practice requires both critical individual thinking by facilitators and collective reflection in collaboration with other practitioners. During the discussion, counsellors stressed the importance of individualised support for practitioners, considering the diversity of practitioners and the contexts in which reflective practice occurs. Reflective practice within a community meets counsellors' needs for connection, professional validation, and personal acknowledgement. The experience of building reflective practice in preschools before the reforms varied, partially because counsellors did not feel sufficiently empowered to facilitate professional discussions, reflect on changes, or transform practices competently. Through systemic support during the reform process, counsellors developed higher-quality reflective practices collaboratively. As counsellors learned about critical reflection and leadership skills, they became more emotionally and intellectually involved in this process. However, reflective practice in preschools was not easily sustained following the end of systemic reform support. Counsellors' professional tasks are complex and extensive, and there are entrenched practices and habits, administrative and organisational constraints, a lack of motivation by counsellors to expand these practices to other preschools, practitioners' reluctance to engage in mentally demanding reflective practices, and the absence of external monitoring and support systems for reflective development within learning communities. Moreover, in addition to limited reflective practices, practitioners' research-based practices were rare and insufficiently represented. Despite this, practitioners have demonstrated significant growth in their digital competencies since the pandemic and the reforms began. Preschool counsellors emphasised two essentials for further post-reform development of reflective practice within professional communities: a) a continuous learning program for reflective practitioners supported by the government and b) established mechanisms to monitor the development of reflective practice within professional learning communities. Various forms of connecting bottom-up and top-down approaches to promote the development of professional learning communities in preschools are discussed.

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