Abstract
The article examines the formation of the early support system for young children as an integral part of Ukraine’s state policy in the field of education and children’s rights, the international and national legislation that defines this system, and the stages of its formation. Early support is understood as an interdisciplinary family-centred comprehensive support system for young children with developmental disabilities or biological or social risks. The aim of this system is to improve children’s development and their families’ quality of life with the help of special institutions, organisations and their subdivisions of different subordination: the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Ukraine. The main provisions declared in international and national legal documents concerning early support for children with special educational needs at different age periods are analysed and the stages of system formation are defined. The practices of early support for children with special educational needs at each formation stage are described.