TOY4Inclusion

ISSA Member: International Child Development Initiatives ICDI, The Netherlands

What happened?
In July 2022, the International Child Development Initiatives (ICDI), in partnership with Škola dokorán in Slovakia and Partners Hungary Foundation in Hungary, launched TOY for Inclusion Play Hubs to support young Ukrainian refugee children and their caregivers. These hubs offer inclusive, community-based, non-formal ECEC spaces where play, connection, and learning can occur in safe, welcoming environments.

 
What was needed? How did they respond?
Refugee children faced challenges enrolling in formal education: in Slovakia and Hungary, about 40% of preschool-aged Ukrainian children weren’t registered due to language barriers, school capacity limits, or intentions to stay temporarily. In response, ICDI coordinated with partners to open fixed and mobile Play Hubs in Slovakia and Hungary, offering socialisation, emotional support, language learning, and safe access points to wider services.

Key challenges:

• High proportion of refugee children not enrolled in schools due to limited space, ongoing displacement, or language obstacles.
• Maintaining program quality and consistency outside of formal centres.

Solutions:

• Established local, community-based Play Hubs, both fixed and mobile, to provide inclusive, welcoming spaces.
• Offered multi-service support: emotional care, group play, referrals to further services, language learning, and integration opportunities.

ICDI partnered with TOY national coordinators, Škola dokorán in Slovakia and Partners Hungary in Hungary, municipalities and institutional donors like UNICEF and EPIM. This coordination led to the strategic placement of PlayHubs, maximising accessibility across regions. The approach helped children build connections, ease linguistic and emotional barriers, and find pathways to formal services.

ICDI and partners were later able to share resources through the ISSA network and beyond like the “Play for Inclusion Handbook” and “Mobile Play Hub Operating Guidelines” (in multiple languages, including English, Slovak, Hungarian, and Ukrainian) to scale the model across contexts.

What's in place? What's missing?
The TOY for Inclusion Play Hubs showcase a compelling example of adaptive, flexible ECD service delivery in times of crisis, bridging gaps left by formal education systems. However, their effectiveness depended entirely on NGO-led innovation and ad hoc partnerships. To ensure equitable support for all young refugee children in similar emergencies, flexible ECD delivery models must be embedded into formal national preparedness systems.

Being part of a regional network: Advantages of ISSA membership
Being part of a network such as ISSA has been instrumental in developing and scaling initiatives like TOY4Inclusion, which was co-created by ISSA members in 2017. The network provides a trusted platform for knowledge exchange, peer learning, and innovation, enabling members to pilot inclusive approaches, share evidence, and adapt solutions across countries. Through ISSA’s collective advocacy and partnerships, organisations can amplify their impact, influence policy, and secure resources to bring community-based models—such as Play Hubs—to scale. Implementing projects in partnership or within a network also strengthens quality assurance and joint monitoring and evaluation (M&E) by offering shared tools, peer reviews, and evidence frameworks that ensure services like Play Hubs are effective and accountable.

This regional collaboration fosters solidarity and responsiveness, and continuous improvement in ECEC systems and services. Ensuring they can better address challenges like migration, displacement, and inequality.

Recommendations

National policymakers:

• Integrate early childhood development (ECD) and play-based learning in emergency and refugee response plans.
• Invest in community-based non-formal ECEC services like Play Hubs to bridge home and formal schooling.
• Mandate intersectoral cooperation across education, health, and social protection.
• Embed UNCRC and MHPSS guidelines into national strategies.
• Fund training and accreditation for ECEC staff and volunteers.

Local/national actors:

• Create inclusive, family-friendly spaces that promote belonging and integration.
• Use Local Action Teams for context-specific, community-driven services.
• Provide psychosocial support for both families and frontline staff.
• Incorporate intergenerational learning to strengthen community ties.
• Monitor and evaluate impact using participatory tools.

Private donors:

• Prioritise ECD funding in humanitarian and displacement contexts.
• Provide flexible, rapid-response and sustainable funding.
• Support workforce capacity building and innovative approaches like mobile Play Hubs.
• Invest in cross-country learning and peer-exchange platforms.

Professionals/practitioners:

• Apply trauma-informed, nurturing, and predictable care practices.
• Foster children’s participation, creativity, and cultural identity.
• Engage families actively through clubs, sessions, and co-created activities.
• Prioritise practitioner well-being and peer support.
• Use the Handbook’s activity cards and tools for practical guidance.

Explore further:
Mobile Play Hubs for Ukrainian refugee children in Hungary and Slovakia
Play Hubs: nonformal ECEC supporting young Ukrainian children in Slovakia and Hungary
Operating Guidelines Mobile Play hubs
Activity Cards Mobile Play Hubs
Research report Mobile Play hubs
Play for Inclusion handbook
Play for Inclusion Activity Cards