Online Event: Flexible to Scale-Up


The TOY for Inclusion project has been active for 4 years in 8 different EU countries, successfully showcasing the effectiveness of non-formal, community-based early childhood education and care services in providing meaningful support to (vulnerable) families and young children.

Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the TOY Play Hubs were forced to close their doors. But, they did not stop their activities. Local teams leapt into action to address community challenges, often in ways formal services have not been able to.

Due to their unique and well-established position within communities, TOY Play Hubs have proved to be a trusted resource and support system for families that have been facing exacerbated challenges due to the crisis.

On 17 November 2020, during a TOY for Inclusion event, participants:

  • Found out more about the TOY for Inclusion model and how its flexibility is beneficial in times of crisis
  • Heard directly from children and parents, ECEC professionals, local institutional representatives, and CSOs
  • Gained insights into the impact the project is having on the personal and professional lives of those involved, as well as in the broader community and city they live in
  • Learned how you can help us realize our dream of bringing TOY Play Hubs to every Municipality in Europe!

Listen to the audio from the event and download the event presentations below.

Start at 17:25 for Mathias Urban (Dublin City University) on the project’s Impact Evaluation
Start at 49:15 for Bianca Faragau Tavares (Eurocities) on the Role of Cities in Scaling Up TOY for Inclusion

TOY for Inclusion Partners:
TOY for Inclusion is coordinated by International Child Development Initiatives – ICDI (NL). Other partners are the International Step-by-Step Association – ISSA (NL)Akromfed (Mediterranean Roma Associations Federation)Associazione 21 Luglio (Italy)Centre for Education Initiatives – CEI (Latvia), Dublin City UniversityEducational Research Institute – ERI (Slovenia)Open Academy Step by Step – OASS (Croatia)Partners Hungary Foundationthe Salvation Army Netherlands and Wide Open School – WOS (Slovakia).

Co-Funded By:

The European Commission support for this event does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.