Odgojitelji su glavni akteri u provođenju uspješne i kvalitetne inkluzije. Stoga je važno provjeriti spremnost odgojitelja za rad u inkluzivnim skupinama i druge važne čimbenicke koji na tu spremnost utječu kako bi se dobio uvid u provođenju inkluzivne prakse u ranom i predškolskom odgoju i obrazovanju. Vodeći se time, postavljeni su sljedeći ciljevi u ovom istraživanju. Prvi cilj bio je utvrditi razlikuju li se odgojiteljice u stavovima prema inkluziji i samoprocjenjenoj kompetentnosti za rad s djecom s teškoćama s obzirom na neke njihove karakteristike (dob, prethodno radno iskustvo s djecom s teškoćama, osobno iskustvo s bliskom osobom s teškoćama, sudjelovanje na stručnom usavršavanju za rad s djecom s teškoćama), a drugi, ispitati kakav je odnos između navedenih dimenzija i emocionalne kompetentnosti. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 189 odgojiteljica iz Dječjeg vrtića Osijek. U svrhu procjene stava prema odgojnoobrazovnom uključivanju koristila se Skala spremnosti odgojitelja za rad u inkluzivnim skupinama (Skočić-Mihić, 2011), a za procjenu emocionalne kompetentnosti korišten je Upitnik emocionalne kompetentnosti (Takšić, 2002). Rezultati su pokazali da odgojiteljice imaju neutralne do blago pozitivne stavove prema inkluziji te da su neodlučne po pitanju samoprocjenjene kompetentnosti za rad s djecom s teškoćama. Osim toga, pokazalo se da mlađe odgojiteljice i one koje su imale prethodno radno iskustvo u redovnim skupinama imaju povoljnije stavove prema inkluziji i optimističniju procjenu vlastite kompetentnosti, u odnosu na starije odgojiteljice i one koje nisu imale prethodna iskustva u radu s djecom s teškoćama. Međutim, one koje su imale prethodno iskustvo u posebnim skupinama imale su negativnije stavove u odnosu na one koje nisu imale isto iskustvo. Odgojiteljice koje su imale osobno iskustvo s bliskom osobom s teškoćama također su se procjenjivale kompetentnijima za rad u inkluzivnim skupinama u odnosu na odgojiteljice koje nisu imale takvo iskustvo. Razlike na ostalim faktorima se nisu pronašle. Preschool teachers play a pivotal role in the successful implementation of inclusive education. Therefore, it is essential to assess the readiness of preschool teachers to work in inclusive groups and other critical factors that influence this readiness to gain insight into the implementation of inclusive practices in early and preschool education. Guided by this, the following goals were established in this research. The first goal was to determine whether preschool teachers differ in their attitudes towards inclusion and their self-assessed competence for working with children with disabilities concerning certain characteristics (age, prior work experience with children with disabilities, personal experience with a close person with disabilities, participation in professional training for working with children with disabilities). The second goal was to examine the relationship between the mentioned dimensions and emotional competence. A total of 189 preschool teachers from one preschool institution in Osijek (Dječji vrtić Osijek) participated in the research. Data were collected using the Scale of willingness to work in inclusive groups (Skočić-Mihić,2011), and the Emotional Competence Questionnaire (Takšić, 2002). The results showed that preschool teachers have neutral to slightly positive attitudes towards inclusion and that they are undecided about their self-assessed competence to work with children with disabilities. Additionally, the results showed that younger preschool teachers and those with previous work experience in regular groups have more positive attitudes towards inclusion and an optimistic assessment of their own competence compared to older preschool teachers and those who had no prior experience working with children with disabilities. However, those who had previous experience in special groups exhibited more negative attitudes compared to those who did not have the same experience. Preschool teachers who had personal experience with a close person with disabilities were also self-assessed as more competent to work in inclusive groups compared to preschool teachers who did not have such experience. No differences were found regarding other factors.