Professionals working with young children and families today face increasing challenges due to ongoing crises such as wars, natural disasters, climate change, and pandemics. Even in times of peace, they are to support young children and parents who have experienced trauma in their home environments or who face exclusion due to poverty, disability, or belonging to marginalized communities. 

Despite their crucial role, early childhood professionals often lack the fundamental social and emotional competencies necessary to respond effectively. Traditional education systems rarely emphasize soft skills such as empathy, tolerance, respect for diversity, active listening, and trauma-sensitive communication. This gap affects both the quality of support for young children and families and the well-being of the workforce itself. 

To ensure young children receive the best possible care and opportunities to thrive, it is essential to equip both new and existing professionals with these critical skills. At the same time, the sector must break the taboo around workforce well-being, creating spaces and opportunities for self-care. Those who care for others must also have the support they need to care for themselves. 

This event will bring together voices from the field—professionals representing ISSA Members who have been trained in and implemented ISSA’s Embracing Diversity and Psychological First Aid (PFA) programs—to share their experiences of integrating equity, inclusion, social justice and mental health practices into their daily work. Through their insights, we aim to nurture a culture of trust, tolerance, safety and collaboration, setting the foundation for sustainable systemic change in early childhood development (ECD) services. 

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Key Questions to Explore 

• What competence gap are ECD professionals experiencing today due to challenging contexts?  

• How can professionals be equipped with essential soft and transversal skills? (e.g., communication, empathy, respect for diversity and community building) 

• Why is workforce well-being often overlooked? How can we integrate self-care into professional development? 

• How can self-transformation and self-care practices lead to better inclusion and well-being in early childhood settings? 

• How can the workforce be supported in speaking out, naming challenges, and building strong professional networks? 

• Is in-service training enough? What other support structures are needed to prepare professionals effectively? 

• How can systemic change for well-prepared and supported workforce be achieved? What are the pathways to integrating these essential skills into pre-service education? 

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Event Features

This event will feature four ISSA member representatives (Croatia, Hungary, Serbia and Kazakhstan), who have implemented the Embracing Diversity program and Psychological First Aid with local adaptations. They will share real-world insights and discuss practical strategies for strengthening the skills and well-being of the early childhood workforce. 

Join us for an engaging discussion that will highlight actionable solutions to equip early childhood professionals with the skills they need and ensure a more inclusive, empathetic, and resilient sector. 

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