TOY4HOME – INTEGRATING HOME VISITING INTO INFORMAL LEARNING AND PLAY

TOY4Home is a European project focused on increasing access to high-quality, inclusive and family-friendly early childhood education and care (ECEC) services.

The project connects the Home Visiting approach with the TOY for Inclusion Play Hubs model – inclusive local spaces where children and families can play, learn and connect. In this way, the project aims to bring support closer to children and families who face barriers to accessing existing services, including families experiencing poverty, migration, social exclusion or other challenges.

Particular emphasis is placed on play, learning through everyday activities, and empowering parents as their children’s first and most important educators.

Project Objectives

TOY4Home aims to:

connect experiences and approaches from home visiting and inclusive play and learning spaces; strengthen the competences of professionals working with children and families; increase access to informal ECEC services for families who are less likely to access existing systems; empower parents to create a stimulating environment for their children’s learning and development at home; develop practical resources and guidelines to support higher-quality work with children and families; encourage the exchange of experiences and the development of new approaches in early childhood education and care. Activities

Throughout the project, partners from Croatia, Ireland and the Netherlands will exchange experiences and good practices through webinars, joint planning, study visits and peer-learning activities.

Particular attention will be given to learning about the Irish home visiting model, the experience of TOY for Inclusion Play Hubs in Croatia, and Dutch approaches to quality, monitoring and evaluation of informal ECEC services.

The project will also include Community Action Research, working together with professionals and local communities to explore needs and develop solutions that are relevant and applicable to local contexts.

Expected Results

The project will contribute to:

increased access to high-quality and inclusive ECEC services; strengthened capacities of professionals working with children and families; stronger links between home visiting and local play and learning spaces; creating higher-quality and more stimulating learning environments for children at home; greater involvement of parents in children’s development and learning; the development of practical tools and recommendations that can be applied in different local communities.

Duration: September 2026 – August 2028

The project is co-funded by the European Union.