• On this special date, when many of its members from Eastern Europe celebrate Children’s Day, ISSA takes the opportunity to stress how relevant play, exploration and well-being are for the development of each child. Every day should be celebrated as children’s day!

Today fifty countries around the world celebrate Children’s Day. Although on different dates, there is no country which does not honor their children on a special day. ISSA joins the 1st of June celebrations and takes the opportunity to call for access to quality education and care for every young child around the world. ISSA envisages a society in which children learn through play, enjoy life within their families and community and explore the world, respecting and appreciating its diversity. For the past fifteen years, ISSA and its members have empowered thousands of practitioners to deliver on this praiseworthy task throughout Europe and Central Asia, supporting all children from the earliest years of their lives, with a focus on the most vulnerable; involving parents in their children’s development and learning; celebrating together children’s daily achievements. However, challenging barriers continue to remain in place in many countries around the world and unfortunately too many young children still do not have access to quality education and care. Today is the perfect occasion to call for a change and to commit to making quality education and care for all children become a reality in the near future. From Mongolia to Lithuania and Romania, children send a message to their peers with an invitation to PLAY, ENJOY and EXPLORE to make meaning of the world they live in! Children grow and learn each and every day and they have so many things to say! Let us listen and follow them as they listen and follow us! Let us trust them as they trust us! Let us give them the best, as they do their best! ISSA is a vibrant network that connects professionals and non-profit organizations working in the field of early childhood development. Established in the Netherlands in 1999, ISSA’s community today stretches across the globe with its more than 50 members primarily located in Europe and Central Asia. Building upon the Step by Step Program initiated by the Open Society Foundations in 1994, ISSA aims to ensure equal access to quality care and education for all young children from birth to 10 years old. This mission is implemented through three main pillars of action: equal access for all children; promoting high-quality and professionalism in early years services and empowering parents and communities to be part of the children’s development and learning. For more information on ISSA’s pillars of action and mission, please contact Alejandra Mahiques at amahiques@issa.nl or check the website www.issa.nl. http://www.issa.nl/sites/default/files/ISSA%20Celebrates%20Children's%20Day-1stJune.pdf