The topic of the final thesis at the postgraduate specialist study "Leading and managing an educational institution" is the research of the professional reputation and image of preschool educators in the community. The question of the professional identity of educational workers, including preschool educators, has been investigated by numerous authors for the last decade. Previous research into the professional reputation of preschool educators has mostly started from the pedagogical aspect, taking into account the entire educational system, based on a quantitative research approach. This work took a broader perspective, so that the professional reputation and image of preschool educators was investigated with a qualitative approach, using the focus group method in a wider social context. By changing the current research paradigm and examining preschool educators and parents, a broader picture of the image of preschool educators in the local community was established. It was established that the image of preschool educators is worse than other categories of educational workers, nor is it sufficiently well known in the wider social context. At the end, appropriate measures to improve the current situation were recommended. Given that the area of the preschool system falls under the authority of local administrations and self-governments, it can be assumed that within the entire preschool sector there are differences in this regard.