Трансформація ринку дошкільних освітніх послуг у містах Західної України

In this article the author explores approaches to the understanding of the concept of ≪market of educational services≫ in Ukraine. What follows is the analysis of the functioning of preschool institutions in the regions of Western Ukraine. It has been shown that in all cities there has been a reduction of children’s preschool establishments, which was due to a rapid decline in fertility in the first years after the break away of Ukraine from the USSR and as a result of the economic crisis. In the later period, since 2005, the birth rate has gradually increased, and the number of establishments remained unchanged for a long time. Today, the situation with the number of places in such institutions remains critical. In the market of educational services, a business group of private pre-school educational institutions is actively formed, which in most cases does not meet the standards established in the state. The problem can be solved only by creating new or restoration of closed children’s institutions.