Catch up on the ECOS launch, secure your spot for the next event, and read the latest from the ISSA Network.
Event recap
Together We Launched ECOS
On 17 February, the early childhood community came together to launch the ECOS Institute — a new shared space for learning, collaboration, and co-creation across the ecosystem. The event brought together global leaders from research, practice, policy, philanthropy, and networks to explore how shared learning can strengthen systems and improve outcomes for young children. From powerful reflections on equity and knowledge-sharing to the unveiling of the ECOS platform, the launch set a clear direction: learn together, act together.
Read the recap, watch the recording, and step into the conversation.
Breaking Through: What Will It Take to Put Early Childhood at the Center?
On 4 March, ECOS convenes its inaugural Thought Leadership Event, Breaking Through: What Will It Take to Put Early Childhood at the Center? In this 90-minute virtual session, leading voices from across the field will confront a persistent challenge: why early childhood remains under-recognised, under-resourced, and fragmented — and what it will take to change that.
Through collective reflection, participants will explore how a stronger, more unified narrative can elevate early childhood on public agendas and drive systemic progress for every child. Translated captions will be available.
Speakers:
Michael Feigelson, Van Leer Foundation, the Netherlands Mihaela Ionescu, ISSA, the Netherlands (Moderator) Ghassan Issa, ANECD, Lebanon Joan Lombardi, Stanford Center on Early Childhood and Georgetown Collaborative on Global Children's Issues, USA Lynette Okengo, AfECN, Kenya Ivanka Shalapatova, Former Minister of Labour and Social Policy, Bulgaria Michel Vandenbroeck, Ghent University, Belgium
The early years: where democratic values take root
In a blog from the last First Years, First Priority newsletter, ISSA Program Director Mihaela Ionescu shows how democracy takes shape in early childhood settings through everyday interactions, play, and shared decision-making. The piece highlights how listening to children, valuing relationships, and co-constructing learning experiences lay the foundations for participation, inclusion, and justice — reminding us that democracy is not taught, but lived, from the earliest years.
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