Experts agree that high-quality early childhood education promotes the healthy cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development of young children. Decades' worth of evidence shows that the highest quality early education is child-centred and play-based. And yet, in many places, early childhood education today is dominated by skills-based, academically-oriented, test-focused teaching.

We seek to change that.

As an organisation of educators, university-based researchers, and early years providers, the IFS provides an international forum for the development of the principles of child-centred and play-based educational theory and practice, especially but not exclusively those associated with the inventor of the Kindergarten, Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852).

7th Biennial IFS Conference (June 2016): A rousing success!

Thanks to our conference organizers, especially Andrea Matheis and others at the Fröbelseminar in Kassel, and the many participants for making the IFS 7th Biennial Conference such a marvellously productive and enjoyable event! Watch this space for a ...

New Book: Erika Christakis on The Importance of Being Little (Penguin, 2016)

Munsang College Kindergarten Conference: Revisiting Kindergarten Education

The IFS congratulates its affiliate, Munsang College Kindergarten of Hong Kong, upon the success of its Kindergarten Education Conference, held on 23 April 2016. IFS Executive Committee member Brian Tubbert officiated at the Conference, at which 20 educational...

Celebrating 175 years of Kindergarten Education

2015 marked the 175th anniversary of the opening of the first kindergarten by Friedrich Froebel. Much has changed since that fateful experiment began, but many of Froebel's principles continue to guide high-quality early childhood education around the world to...