At the end of February, ISSA members from Europe and Central Asia came together for a timely discussion on the mental health and well-being of early childhood professionals. The panel comprised Marina Matešić, Programme Director, Open Academy Step by Step; Aleksandra Kalezic Vignjevic, Education Specialist – Program Director at CIP-Center for Interactive Pedagogy, Serbia; Zsuzsa László, Program Manager and trainer at Partners Hungary Foundation in Hungary; and Gulbadan Zakayeva, Director of Community Educational Foundation “School for All" in Kazakhstan.
They shared how they have adapted ISSA’s Psychological First Aid (PFA) and Embracing Diversity Programs to meet the needs of Early Childhood Development professionals in their countries. The conversation highlighted both the challenges that practitioners face—burnout, self-care stigma, and lack of support networks—and the systemic changes needed to ensure they thrive.
Breaking the silence on self-care
“How many hours of self-care have we done today?” Zsuzsa László (Hungary) asked the group. The silence that followed was telling—care professionals who dedicate their work to supporting children often neglect their own well-being. Gulbadan Zakayeva (Kazakhstan) reinforced this reality, sharing how many professionals in her country struggle to adequately regulate their emotions and feel embarrassed to seek help, as discussing self-care remains a taboo and emotional well-being is still not widely recognized within the system. Without a shift in mindset, she warned, educators will continue to struggle in silence.
Myths about burnout persist: some dismiss it as a modern problem, others believe it only affects older practitioners, and many assume professionals should always put children’s needs before their own. Yet in Croatia, 50% of new practitioners consider leaving the profession due to burnout. The content of ISSA’s trainings has been transformative, helping professionals recognize the importance of self-care and take small but intentional steps to integrate it into their daily routines.
From adaptation to systemic integration
Across the network, ISSA’s members have worked to meaningfully adapt the training to local contexts and embed ISSA’s Psychological First Aid (PFA) and Embracing Diversity Programs into professional development structures, ensuring a lasting impact on early childhood professionals.
In Croatia, Marina Matešić and her team reshaped ISSA’s PFA training into a one-day burnout prevention program, placing self-care at the center of professional well-being. Similarly, in Serbia, ISSA Member CIP – Center for Interactive Pedagogy has integrated social-emotional learning and mentoring, developing accredited training modules that equip professionals with the tools to manage stress and build emotional resilience. In Hungary, Zsuzsa László emphasized that how training is delivered matters just as much as the content itself, using interactive, engaging methods to make self-care a natural part of professional learning.
ISSA members have pushed for these approaches to be integrated into pre-service and in-service training. In Kazakhstan, ISSA’s PFA content has been embedded into teacher training programs at Abai University, ensuring that new educators begin their careers equipped with tools and competences to manage their own and children’s stress and trauma.
Serbia’s whole-school approach encourages teachers to identify and address professional challenges through participatory action research, promoting sustainable improvements in their work environments. In Croatia, ISSA member Open Academy Step by Step continues advocating for self-care and mental health training to become a core component of teacher education, recognizing that investing in the emotional well-being of educators is fundamental to strengthening the workforce.
By embedding these practices into professional development, ISSA members are ensuring that self-care, emotional resilience, and peer support are not optional extras but essential elements of early childhood systems.
Strengthening professional networks and advocacy
Beyond training, the ISSA members on the panel recognize that sustainable change depends on strong professional networks and coordinated advocacy efforts. As Zsuzsa László, highlighted, “the key to inclusion is self-awareness, and the key to self-awareness is self-care.” When professionals are encouraged to reflect on their own well-being and engage in interactive, experiential learning, they not only strengthen their own resilience but also create more inclusive environments for children. To make this shift sustainable, self-care must be embedded in policies and professional frameworks, ensuring that emotional well-being is recognized as an essential part of early childhood systems.
Long-term institutional partnerships have also proven crucial. ISSA members have worked closely with higher education institutions to ensure that self-care and emotional well-being are embedded in the training of future educators, combining theory with practice to create a more sustainable and impactful learning experience. Equally important is the role of advocacy. Systemic change requires more than training—it demands policy influence. ISSA members are actively pushing for self-care and emotional resilience to be formally recognized in early childhood education frameworks.
A collective call to action
The discussion made one thing clear: these ISSA members are not only equipping professionals with skills but also advocating for systemic changes that ensure educators are supported, valued, and empowered. From training adaptation to policy advocacy, their work is paving the way for a future where mental health and well-being are integral components of the ECD workforce’s education, professional development and work.
Watch the panel discussion here:
