The article addresses the role of Catholic early childhood education, the parents and the kindergarten in setting the developmental background for the child’s future life perspectives and personal development. This research subject is analysed in the context of the situation in Ukraine, and the article focuses on how the respondents – Ukrainian female refugees – perceive the value of the process. The article begins with an outline of the essentials of Catholic education and their practical implementation through the educational conception developed by Edmund Bojanowski. Then it analyses opinions of refugee women from Ukraine, surveyed with action research methodology and a diagnostic survey to discover how the respondents understand the value of Catholic education and its importance in responding to contemporary life challenges. The respondents’ opinions reveal how the state of war in Ukraine has brought home the importance of family education and the role of the parents and Catholic early childhood education in kindergarten for the well-being of the individual, the family and society. Research conclusions highlight a need to enhance early childhood education practices in an era of dynamic socio-cultural change, marked the unexpected and highly challenging events. Despite on-going secularisation, there is a growing conviction that Catholic early childhood education can offer a solid foundation for this enhancement, due to its reliance on stable, universal set of values and its emphasis on the regularities of child development.

DOI: 10.1080/19422539.2023.2172728
ISSN: 1942-2539