Meet new ISSA Member: Platform for Early Care and Development

ISSA welcomes new Member, Platform for Early Care and Development (ECD Platform), a non-governmental organization working to support and develop the early childhood development (ECD) field in the Czech Republic. Through networking, they aim to support healthy organizations, create an active ECD community, and play a valuable role within the early care system.

With a focus on early intervention, ECD Platform aims to defend and promote services and programs provided to children at risk and support the construction of a functional national early intervention system.

The Czech Republic has a good system for young children with physical and mental disabilities, but it does not fully support vulnerable children and their families. This includes children who might struggle in school or grow up in tough environments. To address these issues, ECD Platform was established by Platform for Early Intervention, which is a network of over 50 organizations in the Czech Republic that supports the development of early intervention.

ECD Platform’s networking mechanism allows member organizations to improve local services or advocacy efforts while jointly promoting systemic change. Through capacity building, consultancy, advocacy, as well as monitoring and evaluation, ECD Platform serves children from birth to age six by focusing on access to services, parenting support programs, and social inclusion for Roma and migrant children.

By becoming a Member of ISSA, they are keen to network, utilize relevant studies and expertise from ISSA’s Knowledge Hub, as well as learn from established methodologies such as Primokiz – a phased methodology to support local governments in their efforts to improve the services they offer for young children.

Learn more about ECD Platform’s work to ensure an inclusive and functional system of early intervention in the Czech Republic.