The curriculum of early and preschool education is by its nature an open, developmental concept that allows educators and children autonomy. The term autonomy refers to freedom of thought and action and denotes the degree of independence that a person possesses. In a quality curriculum, the educator should have autonomy in pedagogical work, and his task is, among other things, to create conditions for the autonomy of each child in the specific culture of the institution and the spatial-material environment rich in various incentives for research and play. The autonomy of the child implies his freedom in the choice of activities and materials, play partners and enough time to develop various activities. With professional knowledge, implicit pedagogy and patterns of behavior, the educator provides a model for children and has a direct impact on both the development and the limitation of children's autonomy. The paper presents a research in which 103 educators participated in the area of the town of Slavonski Brod in order to determine the conditions and level of providing the same that enable the development of the child's autonomy. The results of the research indicate partially confirmed hypotheses about the provision of conditions in educational work for achieving autonomy and the level at which they are provided. The obtained results point to the conclusion about the need for more systematic continuous professional development of educators.