Formation of Teachersʼ Responsibility for Illegal (Aggressive) Behavior of Young Children in Preschool Educational Institutions: Justification of the Program of Additional Professional Education

Introduction. Child aggression is one of the significant problems in pedagogy, psychology, and law. Despite the fact that aggressive behavior of children is most often considered as a quite common phenomenon, the inability to overcome and control it leads to serious problems and consequences with age. The analysis of the issue of responsibility for causing harm to the health of other pupils by a child in a preschool educational institution leads to an understanding of the uncertainty of the legal basis of the actions of the institutionʼs specialists. This uncertainty is exacerbated by the lack of a clear legal status of a preschool educational institution and the lack of legal culture of teachers when faced with predeviant – maladaptive behaviors of preschoolers. Taken together, this creates ambiguity in the reactions and actions of preschool education specialists, and may exacerbate the problems of pupils and the consequences of their aggressive behavior. The purpose of the article – to determine the legal basis of responsibility of preschool educational institution specialists in the situation of illegal behavior of young children, as a key substantive component of a new educational program in the system of additional education for teachers. Methodology. As the main ones, such theoretical research methods are used as: analysis of available theoretical data on the problem; generalization of data related to the research topic and which are reliable. Results. In their previous work, the authors identified the phenomena of child aggression and violence as a psychological and pedagogical problem on the one hand, and as a legal problem on the other. Based on the conducted research, a description and definition of the illegal behavior of young children is given, based on legal pedagogy and the psychology of aggression. The analysis of the legal status of a preschool educational institution and the legal position of its employees in the occurrence and resolution of situations related to child aggression is carried out. A pedagogical innovation is proposed in the form of a program of additional professional education for teachers of preschool educational institutions on the prevention and adequate response to childrenʼs aggressive behavior. Conclusions. The definition of aggressive behavior of minors in a preschool educational institution is given from the perspective of law, age psychology and legal pedagogy. The conclusion is made about the importance of psychological and pedagogical prevention of aggressive behavior in pre-school conditions. The legal basis for the responsibility of preschool specialists in situations of illegal behavior of young children and the legislative acts regulating them have been clarified. The necessity and expediency of introducing a new program of additional professional education for teachers of preschool educational institutions is substantiated.