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INTESYS – Integrated Systems in Early Childhood

Building the Capacity of Early Childhood Services

INTESYS (Integrated Systems in Early Childhood) was a three-year European cooperation project (2015–2018) co-funded by the European Commission’s Erasmus+ Programme. It brought together a strong consortium of national and international partners dedicated to transforming Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) systems across Europe.

The Learning for Well-being Foundation joined this consortium as one of several organisations working collaboratively to address fragmentation in early childhood services and improve access for families in vulnerable situations.

The project was led by the King Baudouin Foundation (Belgium), in partnership with:

  • ISSA – International Step-by-Step Association (The Netherlands)
  • Compagnia di San Paolo (Italy)
  • Emanuela Zancan Foundation (Italy)
  • Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian (Portugal)
  • Aga Khan Foundation (Portugal)
  • VBJK – Centre for Innovation in the Early Years (Belgium)
  • The Pedagogical Institute (Slovenia)

The Challenge

Across Europe, early childhood services are often fragmented, with different sectors—education, health, welfare, and family support—operating in silos. This disconnection especially impacts children and families in vulnerable situations, who are less likely to access comprehensive, high-quality services.

INTESYS recognised that to meet the real needs of children and families, early childhood systems must become more integrated across:

  • Professions and sectors
  • Age groups and developmental stages
  • Governance levels and administrative bodies

The INTESYS project piloted innovative models of integration across several European countries to explore how services could collaborate more effectively. The project focused on:

  • Strengthening professional collaboration across disciplines
  • Bridging institutional barriers between sectors
  • Promoting child- and family-centred service delivery
  • Embedding inclusive practices in early years policies and systems 

By applying a systemic approach, INTESYS aimed to equip ECEC professionals, decision-makers, and service providers with tools to build more coherent, equitable, and responsive systems.

The INTESYS project piloted innovative models of integration across several European countries to explore how services could collaborate more effectively. The project focused on:

  • Strengthening professional collaboration across disciplines
  • Bridging institutional barriers between sectors
  • Promoting child- and family-centred service delivery
  • Embedding inclusive practices in early years policies and systems 

By applying a systemic approach, INTESYS aimed to equip ECEC professionals, decision-makers, and service providers with tools to build more coherent, equitable, and responsive systems.

INTESYS contributed to lasting change in early childhood systems by:

  • Developing national pilots that tested integration practices in real-world settings
  • Producing toolkits and frameworks to guide service coordination
  • Facilitating cross-country learning to support systemic policy innovation
  • Promoting a shared vision for inclusive and high-quality ECEC across Europe
INTESYS Toolkit

Resources

EXPLORE THE INTESYS TOOLKIT

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