Learning and education are proactive processes in constant change therefore, when it comes to the quality of education, modern understanding of the child, holistic interdisciplinary approach to education are mechanisms that are imperative of modern society. Education policies have a responsibility to create structural reforms and educational guidelines aligned with the needs of modern society. Professional development of educators is one of the key criteria for shaping the quality of early and preschool education that continuously needs to be improved. The focus on a quality approach to the child is reciprocal to the quality of the educational institution and thus to the system of education as a whole. Evaluation and self-evaluation of an educational institution is a prerequisite for improving quality and is an important process in thinking about one's own contribution and personal responsibility in its formation. The aim of this paper is to emphasize the importance of professional development of educators in the context of self-evaluation as a process of improving the quality of educational institutions, and consequently the educational system. In relation to the key concepts, the theoretical background, research in the field were presented and educational policy documents were analyzed at the level of the European Union. This is further supported by the analysis of the ECEC educational systems of selected European countries in relation to the structure, strategic, legal and reform documents, the specifics of the professional development of educators and approaches to monitoring and quality assurance of the system of early and pre-school education. The purpose of comparative analysis of ECEC educational systems is to raise awareness of opportunities for improving the quality of educational institutions through professional development of educators in correlation with complementary educational policies. Although the education system of each country has its own unique history, past, development path and specific social context, the analysis of these elements leads to the conclusion that the systems of early and preschool education of these countries start from modern paradigms of education and strive to promote the quality of the education system with high awareness for the need for continuous professional development of educators.