Improving the Integral Method for Assessing the Competitiveness of Preschool Educational Organizations

This study develops an improved multi-criteria methodology for the comprehensive assessment of the competitiveness of preschool education organizations. Existing comparative, functional, structural, matrix-based, and integrated assessment approaches are systematically examined to identify their methodological strengths and limitations, and an assessment framework is proposed that simultaneously captures the economic and social characteristics of preschool education services. The methodology comprises the selection and grouping of relevant indicators, their classification into stimulants and destimulants, normalization of variables measured on different scales, determination of indicator weights through expert assessment, calculation of partial and block-level indices, and their aggregation into a composite competitiveness index. A distinctive feature of the proposed framework is the treatment of mandatory requirements related to safety, licensing, and child health as non-compensatory threshold criteria, preventing strong economic performance from offsetting failure to meet essential preschool education standards. Rather than serving merely as a ranking measure, the resulting composite index provides a diagnostic instrument for identifying strong and weak dimensions of competitiveness, conducting comparative assessments, prioritizing resource allocation, and translating multidimensional performance information into strategic management decisions. The proposed methodology therefore establishes a structured link between competitiveness measurement, organizational diagnostics, and managerial decision-making in preschool education.