Date: 01-04-2014

ISSA turns 15!

  • Fifteen years ago, in March 1999, ISSA was founded in The Netherlands and registered as an international membership association focused on Early Childhood Development.

Following the decision taken by the network of Step by Step NGOs during an inaugural Council Meeting in the autumn of 1998 in Dubrovnik, Croatia, in March 1999 ISSA was registered in The Netherlands with support from the Open Society Foundations. Fifteen years later, ISSA’s community today stretches across the globe with its more than 50 members from 35 countries, primarily in Europe and Central Asia. ISSA builds upon the Step by Step Program initiated by the Open Society Foundations in 1994, and the network resulting from this program, which in 2014 celebrates its 20th anniversary. ISSA’s mission is implemented today through three main pillars of action: equal access for all children; promoting high-quality and professionalism in early years services and empowering parents and communities to be part of the children’s development and learning. Over the years ISSA has become a network internationally recognized for its work to promote equal access to quality care and education for all young children from birth to 10 years old. Together with the support ISSA continues receiving from the Open Society Foundations, it has established partnerships with several other prestigious supporters like UNICEF, UNESCO, the Bernard van Leer Foundation and the Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care and Development. Its programs and resources on Quality and Diversity are widely used and are featured as best practice in numerous reports from respected sources. In addition to providing services to its expanding membership, ISSA has grown to become a broader umbrella for Early Childhood Development in Europe and Central Asia, by hosting the Romani Early Years Network and the Early Years Regional Alliance. This year ISSA will celebrate all these achievementsso farduring the Biennial ISSA Conference, which will mark the 15th anniversary of ISSA and the 20th anniversary of the Open Society Foundations’ Step by Step Program. The conference will be organized between 10-12 October in Budapest, Hungary. ISSA is a vibrant network that connects professionals and non-profit organizations working in the field of early childhood development. Established in the Netherlands in 1999, ISSA’s community today stretches across the globe with its more than 50 members primarily located in Europe and Central Asia. Building upon the Step by Step Program initiated by the Open Society Foundations in 1994, ISSA aims to ensure equal access to quality care and education for all young children from birth to 10 years old. This mission is implemented through three main pillars of action: equal access for all children; promoting high-quality and professionalism in early years services and empowering parents and communities to be part of the children’s development and learning. For more information on plans to celebrate ISSA’s 15th anniversary or on the Biennial Conference, please contact Alejandra Mahiques at amahiques@issa.nl. http://www.issa.nl/sites/default/files/ISSA%20celebrates%20its%2015th%20...