Project Summary

Overall goal: to combat segregation of Romani young children and families, and enhance social cohesion through community based inclusive Early childhood Education & Care (ECEC) services. The project also aims to improve the transition experience of Romani children to schools.

According to EU Fundamental Rights Agency and UNDP report, participation rates of Romani children in ECEC are significantly lower than for the majority population in the EU. Increasing access is a key challenge. For Romani children who attend ECEC services the experience of discrimination is very acute; summarized in three Romani education ‘cases’ (EU DG Justice Report 2014): segregation in special preschools and schools, intra (pre)school segregation (Roma only classes) and inter (pre)school segregation (Romaonly schools).
This project promotes the active involvement of Romani and nonRomani communities in ECEC services, through the development of toy libraries and intergenerational learning (IGL). Toy libraries are a successful approach to overcome segregation, provide access to quality non formal ECEC services that improve transition experience to formal education and build the capacity of parents. The project will organise IGL activities within toy libraries. IGL activities involve different age groups, including young children and senior adults, learning together and learning from each other. Previous research demonstrated that such activities challenge stereotypes and all involved experience the values of solidarity, respect and acceptance of the ‘other’. Discrimination against the very young and older adults is challenged.

 

Project homepage: www.toy4inclusion.eu
Objectives
  • To combat segregation, increase enrolment and promote inclusion through family involvement and intergenerational learning (IGL) in ECEC settings involving Romani and nonRomani families.
  • To build the capacity of community stakeholders working with Romani and nonRomani children to provide communitybased ECEC services, strengthen social cohesion and combat segregation.
  •  To facilitate learning and exchange in practice and policy across countries on innovative approaches towards ECEC, social inclusion and desegregation of Roma.
Activities
  1. Training on community based ECEC initiatives, to promote inclusion in formal and nonformal ECEC settings;
  2. Pilot actions (toy library and IGL activities);
  3. ‘What Works Guide’ with recommendations for practitioners and local authorities to implement community based ECEC for Romani and nonRomani children;
  4. Knowledge sharing and dissemination among local, national and international stakeholders and policy makers.
The target groups

Deriving from these goals, the proposed Action addresses needs of the following target groups:
TG 1 – young Romani children and their families (with special focus on children 08 years and the elderly population 40+ years) in the participating communities in Belgium, Croatia, Hungary, Latvia, Slovakia and Slovenia;
TG 2 – Other children and families (with special focus on children 08 years and the elderly population 60+ years) in the participating communities in Belgium, Croatia, Hungary, Latvia, Slovakia and Slovenia;
TG3 –ECEC institutions, practitioners, Romani mediators, teaching assistants, toy library assistants in the participating communities in Belgium, Croatia, Hungary, Latvia, Slovakia and Slovenia;
TG4 – Local policy makers and Romani community representatives in the participating communities in Belgium, Croatia, Hungary, Latvia, Slovakia and Slovenia;
TG5 – National and international level policy makers in the participating countries and EU.

TOY for Inclusion at the ISSA Conference 2017 in Ghent:
TOY for Inclusion Leaflet