TOY for inclusion opens Play Hubs to boost inclusion at the local level. Scaling up the results achieved so far and improving inclusion policies on early childhood development are the main objectives of this second phase.

Last year TOY for Inclusion has achieved an unexpected success. Four thousand children in Europe participated in our activities and the project was awarded the Life Long Learning Award 2018 in the category ‘Best Learning Environment’.

This week the project partners met in Rome (Italy) to plan the actions for the next two years. Thanks to new funding, TOY for Inclusion will open one new Play Hub in Croatia, Latvia, Hungary, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Slovenia, Italy and will expand to Turkey.

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In addition, advocacy will play a key role in this new phase. We aim at advising EU and local policy makers on how non-formal educational activities in early childhood policies can foster inclusion.

Last year, we have developed a Toolkit on how to open Play Hubs and a What Works Guide with recommendations for policy makers. These two documents show to local administrators how informal education can be the gateway to school and preschool for many children at risk of exclusion.

So far, the project has created eight Play Hubs for young children in seven EU countries: one in Belgium, Croatia, Latvia, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia and two in Italy.

The Play Hubs support the early childhood development of Romani, migrant and vulnerable children to foster their integration in school and preschool.

They are inclusive spaces where children and families are encouraged to play and learn: while children are allowed to borrow toys, information about childrearing, health, early learning and development is passed on informally to (grand)parents.

Read more here.