Founders and teachers of private preschool institutions in the Volga region cities at the beginning of the 20th century

The article is devoted to the administrative and pedagogical staff of preschool institutions organized by private individuals within the Kazan Educational District. The characteristic is given according to the following criteria: the social status of the owners and teachers, the motives of their activities, the program of education in kindergartens, as well as the relationship of the women organizers of these institutions with the authorities. It is concluded that the founders did not always pursue commercial goals, and often organized kindergartens based on ideological considerations. They were educated women with teaching experience in secondary schools. At the same time, one of the motives for creating kindergartens was the desire to educate their sons and daughters, as well as the children of their husbands' colleagues. Analyzing the biographies of educators and teachers, the authors come to the conclusion that the staff consisted mainly of graduates of gymnasiums, as well as girls who passed the test for the title of home teacher. Almost all of them joined the position immediately after graduation, and due to their age, they were unmarried. For citation: Gabdrafigova L.R., Mironova E.V. Founders and teachers of private preschool institutions in the Volga region cities at the beginning of the 20th century. From History and Culture of Peoples of the Middle Volga Region. 2025, vol.15, no.3, pp.124–139. https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2025-15-3.124-139 (In Russian) Financial support: The research was carried out at the expense of a grant provided in 2024 by the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences for the implementation of fundamental and applied scientific work in scientific and educational organizations, enterprises and organizations of the real sector of the economy of the Republic of Tatarstan.