News

A consortium of ISSA members has developed a new Soft Skills Toolbox to support educators, mentors, trainers, and facilitators leading collaborative professional learning.

OUTPLAY is launching a new series of video diaries, offering a more personal look at the people, ideas, and experiences shaping the project.

ISSA is pleased to welcome CONCORDIA Bulgaria to our growing network of organizations dedicated to improving outcomes for young children and their families. CONCORDIA Bulgaria works to prevent child neglect, family separation, and institutionalization by supporting families facing poverty, social exclusion, and other complex challenges.

On 11 June, ISSA participated in theEuropean Commission’s Implementation Dialogue on Supporting the TeachingProfession in the EU. For ISSA, the Dialogue was an important opportunity to bring one message clearly into the room: early childhood education and care professionals must be recognised as full members of the teaching profession. Learn more about the convening.

In May 2026, consortium partners, members of the Romani Early Years Network (REYN), and other early childhood professionals gathered in Međimurje, Croatia, for a two-day Peer Learning Activity (PLA) as part of the CHAVORE project. The event created a space to reflect on learning, exchange experiences, and see how the project's work is being translated into practice with children and families.

The ISSA Network is pleased to welcome the Lachezar Tsotsorkov Foundation from Bulgaria as a new member of our community.

What if children weren’t just participants, but partners in change? This conversation challenges how we engage with children and shows the transformative power of truly listening to their voices.

Across wars in recent years, from Ukraine to Gaza, and prior conflicts, children have borne the deepest and most enduring harms of war. Now, as another conflict escalates at a terrifying pace across an entire region, with ripple effects far beyond its borders, we are compelled to raise our voices again. And once again, we must ask: what about the children?

Join us in Lisbon this October. Check out details on registration and call for contributions now.

Dear ISSA Community, 2025 was not a year of business as usual. It was a year of movement and change. Across countries, systems, and ways of working. ISSA has always worked for long-term, systems-level change. In 2025, that…

ISSA Member NGO Labor and Health Social Initiatives (LHSI) recently conducted a training workshop titled “TOY4Participation Approach. Children’s Participation Practices: From the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to Everyday Work.” The event…

Save the Date: ISSA Conference 2026! You’re invited! Join us in Lisbon for a global gathering dedicated to strengthening integrated early childhood systems that place every child’s wellbeing at the centre.  Co-hosted by ISSA and the Learning…

ISSA Program Manager Ayça Alaylı spoke to Dr Jan Peeters about how democratic values can be strengthened in early childhood settings, and why this work matters amid growing social and political pressures across Europe. 🎥 Listen to the…

In 2024, the TOY for Inclusion Play Hubs continued to demonstrate the power of inclusive, community-based spaces where children and families can play, learn, and grow together. Across eight European countries, nearly 9,000 children and more than 5,…

Across France, early childhood services face growing needs, uneven access, and increasing pressure on families and professionals. ISSA Member Ensemble pour la Petite Enfance (EPE) is responding with a clear direction: put quality,…

Date: November 26, 2025 Time: 14.00 - 16.00 CET Explore the Compendium here: https://issa.nl/compendium/ecdinemergencies/ In recent years, ISSA members have responded to overlapping crises — from pandemics and displacement to natural disasters…

Developed jointly by UNICEF ECARO and the International Step by Step Association (ISSA), the Supporting Families for Nurturing Care: Training Resource Package for Home Visiting Practices is now available on UNICEF’s…