4 of 5 childhood educators call for skills development around climate change, award-winning app edChild will be available to more

Early childhood education has an important assignment within Sustainable Development, still many educators believe that they do not receive sufficient support and competence development from the school management to perform that job. With recognition from the most prestigious organization in the industry, World OMEP, edChild's focus is now to make its app available to more early childhood educators.

– It is with great pleasure that edChild accepts OMEP's award. In early childhood education, we have a responsibility to lay the foundation for an interest and responsibility for Sustainable Development, and with edChild we do it in a concrete context for the children. Through our technology, educators can more easily meet and inspire with their – and be inspired by others' – fantastic knowledge, says Sofia Zätterström, co-founder and CEO of edChild.

edChild's digital solution for continuing skills development combines research, peer learning and EdTech to strengthen educators’ ability to teach Sustainable Development. edChild was started in August 2019 together with Hoppetossa Preschools. During the project, more preschools and educators have joined edChild, and today more than 800 educators use edChild. In September 2020, inspired by Swedish pedagogy and research, a finished product was launched.

– edChild is a fantastic tool for us who work with the pedagogical work in children's teaching every day. It helps us to go from doing to learning and understanding together with the children in a way that I have not seen any other tool or platform do before, says Helen Oskarsson, teacher at the preschool Hoppetossa Raketen.

In the edChild app, educators find an introduction to Sustainable Development, developed by preschool teachers together with a researcher, and suggestions for research articles and books for in-depth study. Furthermore, educators can interact with each other and share pedagogical activities within early childhood educators.

In the area of Sustainable Development, there are over 300 activities to choose from, for example how to work with democracy or how different choices contribute to Sustainable Development, and it is possible to search for activities based on, for example, age.

– We now make the edChild app available free of charge for individual educators. We want as many people as possible to take part in the material produced within the module that received the OMEP award, and to encourage continued peer learning to strengthen education and teaching in Sustainable Development, says Sofia Zätterström.

edChild is available as an app for educators, and as a web interface for principals / educational leaders. The app is available for download in the AppStore and on Google Play.

About edChild
edChild is an EdTech company from Stockholm, Sweden. With a background from the world of preschools, we care deeply about children's development and learning and the educator's important role. Our long-term vision is to contribute to the UN's global goal 4.2 "Equal access to qualitative pre-primary education".

About OMEP (World Organization for Early Childhood Education)
OMEP is an international organization that has worked for all aspects of “early childhood education & care” since 1948. OMEP is currently present in over 70 countries and has special advisory status with the UN, UNESCO and ECOSOC. 

About Sustainable Development in early childhood education
Sustainable development is about a development that satisfies today's needs without compromising the ability of future generations to satisfy their needs - a sustainable development in three dimensions; economic, social and environmental. In 2015, the 17 global sustainability goals that all UN member states must strive for were adopted (Agenda 2030). Goal 4 is "Quality education", and early childhood education is affected in various parts of the global sustainability goals.