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International Child Development Initiatives

Mission
International Child Development Initiatives (ICDI) is a knowledge organization in psychosocial development of children and young people growing up in difficult circumstances. ICDI believes in the power of children and young people, supporting their rights and addressing the underlying causes for the problems they face.
We aim to improve policies and practices by building the skills of: children, mothers, fathers, families, communities, local organizations, and authorities. ICDI also works with and for bigger international child rights organizations, supporting knowledge transfer through training, research, advice and partnership.
From Nepal to Nicaragua, and from Kiev to Katwijk, our dream is ‘a happy life for all children’. Serious and sincere, academic and practical, small and with major impact, ICDI has been promoting psychosocial well-being of children and young people for more than twenty years. www.icdi.nl
News
![]() ISSA Members are at the Forefront of Innovations in the Early Years Sector in EuropeThe European Commission’s ECEC webinar “Working with families and the whole community” last week highlighted 7 initiatives from across... | ![]() TOY for Inclusion shares Impact Evaluation and Policy RecommendationsThe TOY for Inclusion consortium has released the project’s Impact Evaluation and Policy Recommendations.Using a... |
![]() Four Years Later: Reflections on the TOY for Inclusion ProjectThis month, the TOY for Inclusion project titled TOY to... | ![]() TOY for Inclusion organizes successful event at the EU Parliament“I strongly believe that social inclusion starts with young children and their eagerness to play,” posts Slovenian MEP Tanja Fajon on Twitter... |
![]() ICDI’s new edited book: Intergenerational Learning for ECEC practitionersThis month, ISSA Member International Child Development Initiatives (ICDI), launched the book | ![]() NEWS – PINN Releases Portugal Site Visit LearningsPINN, Proactive International Network for Newborn and Young Children, went to visit Coimbra (Portugal) to learn from local Prevention... |
![]() NEWS – PINN Releases Portugal Site Visit LearningsPINN, Proactive International Network for Newborn and Young Children, went to visit Coimbra (Portugal) to learn from local Prevention... | ![]() NEWS – Unveiling Pre-conference Workshops #5 and #7On 17 June 2019 we offer nine highly informative Pre-conference workshops. Are you coming to Leiden a day ahead of the conference? Here is your... |
![]() NEWS - ICDI Assessed Child Wellbeing in 5 European CountriesStudy reflects social and emotional wellbeing of young children in ECEC settings.... | ![]() NEWS - TOY for Inclusion Wins Lifelong Learning Award 2018We are delighted to announce that our project TOY for Inclusion has received the Lifelong Learning Awards 2018 in early December.... |
![]() NEWS - 'Prejudice against Roma can be Overcome,' experts say.An international event held by TOY for Inclusion shared achievements and lessons learned over the past two years. Thanks to the work of... | ![]() NEWS - TOY for Inclusion Gets ExtendedThe TOY for Inclusion project and the Early Childhood Education and Care Play Hubs, received support for another 2 years. ... |
![]() EVENTS - ICDI's TOY Online Course is going PublicPiloting of the TOY Course in April and May, as part of TOY-PLUS was a huge success: 82 learners from Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Northern... | ![]() NEWS - How to make an Inclusive Play Space? Download this FREE toolkit!The new ‘TOY for Inclusion' toolkit provides everything trainers and practitioners need to setup safe play spaces for... |
![]() ICDI and ISSA organized a TOY 4 Inclusion trainingDuring a three day "Training of Trainers", 20 professionals were trained. The training is part of the | Peer Learning Activity: ensuring safe spaces for young children in families and communitiesLast week, ISSA member International Child Development Initiatives (ICDI) hosted a Peer Learning Activity to discuss child rearing practices and... |
Several ISSA members release a new manual for intergenerational learningThe Dutch NGO ICDI, together with three other ISSA members, VBJK (Belgium), Comenius Foundation (Poland) and the Step by Step Centre for... | NGO’s from different European countries will come together in an international conference on intergenerational learningISSA’s member ICDI, hosts the final TOY International Conference on intergenerational learning that will take place on the... |
ISSA and Members: Promoting inclusion of Romani children – through TOYCombatting segregation of young Romani children and enhancing social cohesion of local communities are the core principles of TOY for Inclusion... |
Resources and practices
![]() Together Old and YoungThe purpose of the Together Old and Young (TOY) Programme is to promote intergenerational learning and to create new possibilities for older adults... |
![]() Supporting Social and Emotional Well-Being of Children in Early Childhood Education and Care through Team ReflectionThese Guidelines are the outcome of the second part of the SEED project, during which a group reflection pathway, called WANDA1, was piloted with... |
![]() Happy Young Learners: Psychosocial well-being of Young Children in Ethiopia: Research studyHappy young learners: Psychosocial well-being of young children in Ethiopia report presents the findings and recommendations of a research and... |
![]() TOY for Inclusion Toolkit: A step-by-step guide to creating inclusive Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Play Hubs for all generationsTOY for Inclusion Toolkit: A step-by-step guide to creating inclusive Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Play Hubs for all generations... |
![]() The Nest Center: a Home Away from HomeThe 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... |
![]() UPSI- 5: The Universal Psychosocial Indicator for Five-Year-Old Boys and GirlsThe UPSI-5 is an easy to administer instrument to measure the psychosocial well-being of 5 year old children. The UPSI-5 consists of 29 questions... |
![]() ECD-QUAT: Quality Assessment Tool for Early childhood Development Services for Young ChildrenEnsuring quality in early years services is essential for young children's well-being and healthy development. The Early Childhood Development... |
Together Old and Young: a Training Manual for Intergenerational Learning ActivitiesLaunched in 2012, the TOY project (Together Old and Young) is about bringing young children, up to 9 years old, together with... |