EACH Project: Nurturing Sustainability and Digital Citizenship in Kindergarten

Why this project matters

Climate change has been a growing concern since the 1960s, and although there’s wide agreement that urgent action is needed, the question remains: how to foster sustainable behaviours from early childhood? In a world rapidly transformed by digital technologies, there is an opportunity—and a challenge—to use those tools wisely. The EACH project (“Early Childhood and Sustainable Citizenship Routes in the Digital Era”), funded by the Erasmus+ Programme,  aims to ensure that the digital transformation enhances fairness, equity and sustainability starting from the very first years of school.

What EACH does: Philosophy, Participation & Practice

EACH is grounded in the belief that even young children are active participants in their learning—not just recipients. Through a combination of philosophy, psychology, media education, the project helps children as young as kindergarteners to engage in collaborative learning to:

• Explore environmental issues and climate crisis topics in ways that are accessible and meaningful;
• Develop critical-creative thinking, social skills and metacognitive skills (thinking about thinking) so they can reflect on their own learning and actions;
• Engage in dialogues about the environment—not only building knowledge but also questioning, weighing, imagining alternatives, and acting;
• Use collaborative, knowledge-building practices in digital and non-digital settings, and always critically consider how digital tools shape understanding and action.

Who we are: A pan-European collaboration

EACH is carried out by a consortium of universities, educational practitioners, NGOs, and early childhood teacher networks across Europe. Partners include:

• NOVA University Lisbon (PT)
• Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna (IT)
• University of Gdańsk (PL)
• Cooperativa CADIAI (IT)
• Inter-kulturo (SI)
• Studio Gaus GmbH (DE)
• Filo’ – Il Filo del Pensiero (IT)
• Fundacja Be Montessori (PL)
• Externato João XXIII (PT)

With support from APEI (PT), CRIF (IT), and Montessori Europe (PL), this diverse team ensures strong theoretical and practical guidance.

What we offer: Tools, Methods & Outputs

EACH will produce a suite of free, open resources for educators, parents, and kindergartens, all available by the end-2026. Here are the main deliverables:

• Online guidelines: best practices for integrating sustainability education, climate awareness, and digital citizenship in early childhood settings.
• Activity plans portfolio: ready-to-use plans for kindergarten, including guiding questions, hands-on tasks, and prompts to encourage deep reflection.
• Self-evaluation tool: an innovative online instrument to help kindergarten teachers assess how well sustainability education goals are being met in their classrooms.
• Multilingual availability: All materials will be available in English, Italian, Polish and Portuguese.

These tools are designed not only to give concrete ideas, but also to help educators reflect on and improve their practice continuously.

Impact: What we hope to achieve

EACH aims to create shifts not just in knowledge, but in attitude, behaviour and promote awareness of agency:

• Young children will see themselves as contributors—not just learners—in issues of climate and sustainability awareness and action facing climate change challenges;
• Kindergartens where sustainability is woven into daily life will be places where digital tools are used intentionally, ethically, and to amplify collective and collaborative thinking;
• Teachers and parents feel equipped, confident, and reflective in integrating education for sustainable citizenship from early ages;
• A ripple effect: fostering communities that care, where early childhood becomes a foundation for sustainable citizenship across life.

How you can join & follow along

We invite kindergarten teachers, educators, parent groups, policy makers, and anyone interested in early childhood education to:

• Keep watch for the EACH materials (from guidelines to activity plans) on our website: eduskills.plus/each and follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/eduskills.plus/