Kyiv Play Hub

Today, as a result of the war, a huge number of Ukrainians have become internally displaced persons and must rebuild their lives  in new, often unfamiliar places. About 40% of them are children. Providing safe, welcoming, multi-service spaces for children is crucial for their development and adaptation in new communities.

 

Therefore, Labor and Health Social Initiatives (LHSI), in cooperation with International Child Development Initiatives (ICDI, Netherlands) and the Kyiv City Family Center "Rodynniy Dim," opened the Play Hub for children in Kyiv, Ukraine. This model targets children who were forced to relocate together with their families. It has been developed and exists in other EU countries for families who had to migrate to Europe from other countries and needed support in a new place.

 

Play Hub Centers - are inclusive informal educational spaces for young children and their families based in communities. They focus especially on engaging young children (0–10 years) from vulnerable groups who are growing up in difficult life circumstances.

 

The Play Hub in Kyiv was opened in summer 2023 with financial support from the  Porticus Foundation. From spring 2025, the initiative continues to be implemented by LHSI with the support from  the Italian Chiesa Valdese foundation.

During 2024,  1,177 children from vulnerable families benefited from Play Hub services, 82% of whom were preschool age from 0 to 6 years. An important element of the Play Hub model in Kyiv is the active involvement of parents or caregivers in their children’s development pathway. During 2024, 1,168 parents were able to participate in center activities together with their children.

 

The Play Hub in Kyiv aims to create a safe and inclusive space for internally displaced and war-affected children and their families. The project focuses on promoting psychosocial well-being, ensuring access to education and basic services, and supporting integration into the community in Kyiv. Labor and Health Social Initiatives engaged the municipal partner Kyiv City Family Center "Rodynniy Dim" and European child development experts from the non-governmental sector ICDI (Netherlands) to create the supportive environment for the development of children affected by the war in Ukraine in a safe place - Play Hub, emphasizing equality, diversity, and intergenerational learning.

 

Objective

To establish a safe and inclusive Play Hub space for vulnerable groups, focusing at children aged from 0 to 10 y.o. The aim is to provide psychosocial support to families with children, access to play and learning activities, medical assistance and rights protection, and to promote their integration into the Kyiv community.

 

 

Strategies:

The project achieves its objective through the following strategies: 

Creating Safe and Inclusive Spaces: The Play Hub is a welcoming environment that fosters socialization, emotional expression, and trauma-informed support for children and families. It provides a range of activities and learning opportunities to facilitate their adaptation and development. 

Service Integration: The Play Hub collaborates with education, health, social services, housing, and employment sectors to ensure comprehensive support for the targeted families. By coordinating with relevant stakeholders, the project enhances access to specialized services and resources. 

Equity and Diversity: The Play Hub prioritizes the inclusion of vulnerable groups, such as minority communities and children growing up in challenging circumstances (especially internally displaced children and children from the Roma community). It will promote equity, intergenerational learning, and diversity in its activities and services.  

 

Target groups

 

The project directly benefits the following target groups: 

Non-Internally Displaced Children and Caregivers: The Play Hub also welcomes non-internally displaced and war-affected children and their caregivers, creating an inclusive and diverse environment that promotes socialization and mutual understanding. 

Internally Displaced and war affected children and their caregivers in Kyiv: offering them access to psychosocial support, educational opportunities, and integration services. This group constitutes the primary focus of the project. 

Activities

Capacity Building: LHSI facilitates a regular based educational activities to increase capacities of its educators and psychologists of the Play Hub and its partners, including with the involvement of European experts in collaboration with ICDI to prepare specialists in the TOY for Inclusion approach, equipping them with the necessary knowledge and skills to create a nurturing environment within the Play Hub. 

Resource Development: LHSI has adapted and translated TOY for Inclusion manual and toolkits developed by ICDI, enabling effective implementation of inclusive practices and quality educational experiences for the target groups. 

Collaboration and Networking within TOY for Inclusion Programme Network: Thanks to the partnership with ICDI, educators and other specialists from LHSI and its partners in Ukraine have access to additional training, literature, pedagogical methodological materials, and experience exchange between partners from other European countries that implement TOY for Inclusion programs in their Play Hub centers. We promote the sustainable development, scaling, and impact of the Play Hub initiative through study visits and dissemination of our child development practices.

Through its active involvement, LHSI aims to contribute to the positive development and well-being of internally displaced children and their families in Ukraine, ensuring their successful integration and access to vital services. 

 

From parents’ feedback: “I am glad that I can come here with my children. To play in a cozy, friendly, and safe atmosphere and find out which games they will enjoy playing more according to their age and needs. I am grateful to the educators of the LHSI Play Center for supporting the development of my children.”

 

We are happy to share interesting stories about working with clients of our Play Hub.

 

Kyrylo and his Dad

https://lhsi.org.ua/en/s502-kyrylo-and-his-dad-the-path-to-confidence-at-playhub