Creating safe learning environments to counter war disruption

ISSA Member: Ukrainian Step by Step Foundation, Ukraine

What happened?

By May 2022, Trostianets, a city in Ukraine’s Sumy region, had none of its kindergartens open following war-induced destruction. With support from War Child Holland, Ukrainian Step by Step Foundation (USSF) worked closely with the local municipality to reactivate local early childhood settings by providing essential materials (furniture, toys, meals, stationery), enabling kindergartens to reopen in safe conditions by June and September. Alongside physical reconstruction, ECEC staff received Psychological First Aid (PFA) training to support emotional recovery for children and families.

 
What was needed? How did they respond?
Children returning to the community needed safe, supportive environments that addressed both physical risks and emotional trauma. Trostianets educators were rapidly trained to create safe learning spaces, even in bomb shelters, and to facilitate healing-centred play and interaction, helping children process their experiences.

Key challenges:

• Ongoing infrastructure damage and electricity crises made it difficult to recreate safe and consistent learning environments.
• Children’s stress manifested through war-themed play, and parents lacked skills to support emotional recovery.

Solutions:

• Rehabilitated kindergartens and shelters to become fully operative and equipped as safe learning environments for young children.
• Equipped ECEC staff with psychological first aid, self-regulation techniques, play-based guidance, and strategies for comforting children in unstable conditions.

The joint effort of the Ukrainian Step by Step Foundation, the ISSA Network Hub and War Child Holland ensured a coordinated response: heart restored to damaged education infrastructure and emotional resilience built into the reopening of kindergartens. The cross-sector collaboration made timely, context-sensitive action possible.

What's in place? What's missing?

Trostianets benefited from quick action to reopen kindergartens and from ECEC staff equipped with Psychological First Aid skills who could adapt learning spaces even under blackout conditions. Yet, without a formal, emergency-ready ECD infrastructure or crisis-specific delivery guidelines, the resumption of safe learning relied heavily on individual efforts rather than on a coordinated, systemic framework.

Being part of a regional network: Advantages of ISSA membership

• Feeling of support as a part of ISSA community – both at the organizational and personal levels
• Opportunity to get informational, training and financial support (some mini grants)
• Exchange of experience between the countries

Recommendations
Stakeholders at all levels should focus at the following priorities:

• Safety and protection of children: shelters in the preschools, developed plans of evacuation.
• Flexible formats of functioning: face-to-face activities and online, video for parents, using other spaces (library, etc) for short-term activities.
• Psychosocial support: availability of psychologists, using art (play, fairy-tales)-therapy, training for teachers and parents.
• Support of parents and local communities: parentsclubs, parents involvement.
• Inclusiveness and accessibility: adopted materials, support of additional specialists.
• Coordination and management: collection of relevant data, coordination with the national/local authorities, private business, donors.

National policymakers: providing legal documents.

Local/national actors: funding, coordination with other stakeholders

Private donors: providing financial and other support (materials, training)

Professionals/practitioners: training on the providing psychosocial support to children and parents, to develop their own resilience.

Explore further: https://issa.nl/index.php/content/psychological-first-aid-training-guards-childrens-safety-trostianets-ukraine