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The Nest Center is an open, close-to-home type of center, where a stable, fixed group of 30 to 60 children aged 7-16 from multi-problem families spend time before and/or after school, and in weekends and holidays.

The overall objective of the Nest Center is to provide children from multi-problem families with a safe space, where they can enjoy interaction with peers and adults in leisure and learning activities, to enhance their psychosocial well-being and strengthen their resilience.

For each child attending the Nest Center an Individual Action Plan (IAP) will be formulated, with clear, mutually agreed upon goals and activities (contributing to the afore mentioned overall objective). This IAP will be regularly monitored and adapted to give the best possible support to a child.

The Macedonian handbook Math through play is comprised of 50 activities that aim to improve lower grade students’ numeracy skills. All activities are divided in six teaching and learning areas (Numbers; Math Operations; Measurement; Data Analysis; Word problems and Geometry) as defined in the Macedonian national teaching curricula. The Handbook describes each activity separately, including the necessary materials, the preparation process and the method of conducting the activity. Additionally, each activity is supported with one or more photos presenting the preparation process.

All of the activities can be easily replicated in the classroom with affordable and easy-to-get materials. This manual is a useful resource for the lower primary grade teachers and to the parents. Both teachers and parents can use one activity at a time and in this printable version of the Handout they can also write their comments when conducting the activity with their students/children.

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A Guidebook for parents and NGO representatives consist of two thematic units: psycho-motor and psycho-social development of children and youth and development of partnerships between family and educational institutions.

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Compendium of games and activities for children is the guide promoting the holistic approach to child development. It is covering five areas: the child in the world of nature, smells and sounds; the child in the world of manipulative games and maths; the child in the world of colors and lines; the child in the world of modeling and research; the child in the world of friends and theater.

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ISSA’s Quality Framework for Early Childhood Practice in Services for Children under Three Years of Age is grounded in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and stands for the centrality of the child and family in conceptualizing, designing and implementing programs dedicated to this age group, no matter the type of service, program, or sector.

It comprises 31 principles and 143 recommended practices, grouped around 9 Focus Areas, thus covering the complexity of the practices and responsibilities that binds all professionals working in early childhood services.

Through this framework, ISSA launches an invitation for dialogue and joint action among practitioners, managers, policy- and decision-makers, program coordinators, trainers/mentors from all sectors and institutions active in early childhood systems, so they may develop an articulated vision and a shared understanding around quality practices impacting the lives of the youngest children.

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The case study of the Roma Community Outreach (RCO) project in Belfast, Northern Ireland features the potential of small scale community based interventions and the need to have strong anti-discrimination, social justice and peace-building components when working on Roma inclusion.

The Roma Community Outreach (RCO) project in Belfast, Northern Ireland was implemented by the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland, Mediation Northern Ireland and South Belfast Roundtable. The project was aimed at empowering Roma parents and grandparents with young children (birth to age 5) through programmes aimed to increase their parenting skills and employability. The project was guided by a slogan “Nothing about us, without us” and promoted Roma leadership and participation in many different capacities, with a strong emancipation component for the Roma community through professional development opportunities. This case study features the potential of small scale community-based interventions and the need to have strong anti-discrimination, social justice and peace-building components when working on Roma inclusion.

The case study is available in English.

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This resources provides in depth information needed to adapt early childhood education and care programs to be inclusive. Special focus is on inclusion of ethnic minorities, in particular the Roma, inclusion of children with special needs, and avoiding gender stereotyping.

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The Learning for Well-being Magazine was created in 2016 by the Learning for Well-being Foundation and is published online twice a year. The articles are free to download. Each issue explores a theme of interest for all those who wish to expand their perspectives on creating and encouraging inclusive and supportive societies, cultivating capacities and environments that place well-being at the centre of all our endeavors. The themes are explored from multiple perspectives by inviting contributors who work (and learn) in different fields, professions, disciplines and countries.

To date, the themes have included: Measuring what Matters (January 2016); Relationships for Learning (September 2016); Engaged Participation (March 2017); Meaning and Purpose in all our Endeavors (September 2017); Living Systems (April 2018)

This report was written within the INTESYS project in order to map the state of integration of ECEC provision in EU Member States, with a special focus on vulnerable groups regarding workforce policies and practices, stakeholders, governance and also key success factors, gaps (policies, practices etc.), obstacles and inspiring good practices.

The report was developed based on collected data through a European survey focusing on promising and inspiring practices regarding the integration of services, a survey in each of the four piloting countries in the INTESYS project (Belgium, Italy, Portugal and Slovenia), and literature review.

The European survey aimed to answer the underlying, and somewhat paradoxical question: if integrated work and close cooperation are so evidently positive, how did we end up with such segregated services in the first place? Complementary to the survey, the literature review provides a well-rounded picture of the state-of-play concerning the current approaches to and levels of integration (or lack of it) in different European countries. Drawing on previous and other on-going work by the project partners, it focuses on governance, systems, workforce, transitions and what is meant by addressing the needs of the 'whole child'.

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This resource is a collection of personal stories and experiences shared by people marginalised due to their ethnicity or level of ability. The views and the voices of these people are presented in a way to evoke solidarity and emphaty.

The resource promotes friendship as a way to combat and overcome prejudice, stereotyping and marginalisation of certain individuals and groups. Storytelling is a powerful tool for building friendships - by telling stories and listening to other people's unique stories empathy is nurtured and and bridges among people are built.

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The Aflatoun Manual for Non Formal Education is developed for all children who happen to be learning in a non-formal environment. The partnership with Liliane Fonds has encouraged us to pay particular attention to issues of inclusivity and diversity, especially where disabled children are involved. It is a sobering thought that around the world, the majority of children with disabilities remain out of schools.

This Manual is written out of a conviction that inclusive learning environments, where children of all abilities work together, offer at least as many advantages to children with disabilities as do projects or systems which segregate them in the interests of affording them specialized care. This Manual hopes to promote diversity as a source of richness and as a celebration of the varied and unique nature of human life.

In the article 'Power of Associations in Early Childhood Education and Care,' published in the Official Journal of the Association for Childhood Ecucation International, ISSA Program Director, Mihaela Ionescu, unpacks the power of membership associations in the early childhood field, with a particular spotlight on ISSA and the added-value the organization brings to the field by strengthening knowledge and capacity among the its membership.

The full article is avaliable here.

Published by Bernard van Leer Foundation, Early Childhood Matters is a journal about early childhood, which looks at specific issues regarding the development of young children, in particular from a psychosocial perspective. In June 2015 issue, ISSA contributed the article Quality in Early Childhood Settings: universal values and cultural flexibility.

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Manual for educators and parents for use of picture books is an adaptation of ISSA’s activity books "Opening Magic Doors – Reading and Learning together with children" done by Step by Step Foundation for Education and Cultural Initiatives Macedonia (FECIM). The ISSA's activity books are adapted for eight of the 20 children's picture books that FECIM had selected to publish under the USAID "Readers are Leaders Project".

Additionally, the project team developed activities and guidelines for reading and learning with young children for the remaining 12 picture books. In this manual, educational and creative activities combining reading, math, science, and art are offered for all 20 picture books, along with recommendations for how both parents and educators can adapt these activities for different age groups of preschool and early-grade children, in accordance to the children’s needs and interests.

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The publication Teacher Assistant in the Inclusive Classroom outlines the necessary information about the position of the Teacher Assistant (introduced in 2010 in Ukraine). It includes legislative documents, description of the main functions and tasks, etc. It also includes the main content related to inclusive education: how to develop individual educational plans, team work, co-teaching practices, basic information about different kinds of disabilities and examples from practice.

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Roads to Quality - Strengthening Professionalism in Early Childhood Education and Care Systems is showcasing ISSA’s approach towards practitioners’ professional growth and nurturing their professionalism.

It helps organizations to find and establish clear targets to their practitioners’ professional growth by continuous improvement and nurturing of their professionalism. This guidebook also serves as a quality framework for early childhood education practices including helpful tips to turn theory into practice, a “know-how” approach that reflects the consistency between scaffolding children’s development and learning, and scaffolding practitioners’ professional growth in such a way that each achieves their full potential.

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