Froebel Trust

Who we are

The experiences we have as young children shape the rest of our lives. At the Froebel Trust we believe in the importance of play, learning through nature, practical hands-on learning and nurturing a child’s connection to their community.

Friedrich Froebel was the inventor of kindergarten and a pioneer of early childhood education and care. Froebel’s work and writing changed the way we think about and value early childhood. His legacy continues to inspire new generations of early childhood educators.

The Froebel Trust is a grant making charity (registered Charity No: 1145128). We publish our annual accounts detailing our charity's structure, activities, income and spending and these can be found on the Charity Commission for England and Wales website.

Our aim is to ensure that the Froebelian framework of principled education and care is recognised, understood, valued and practised across the early childhood sector for the benefit of young children in the UK and internationally.

Our core work is carried out by a small staff team who are advised, governed and supported by our dedicated volunteers: Trustees, Committee members and Associates.

We inspire educators to nurture the young children in their care by providing grants, free resources and events - and subsidised training courses. Every year, thousands of educators all over the world benefit from our work.

Our culture and values

Our work is based on the principles of Friedrich Froebel. You can read about these principles on our website: https://www.froebel.org.uk/about-us/froebelian-principles

Our values

• Champion childhood by advocating early childhood education that starts with the child
• Use evidence by funding and disseminating high quality research and investigating the impact of early childhood education based on Froebelian principles
• Be creative and adventurous by exploring new ideas and approaches, looking for what will make a real difference
• Be collaborative by working with our current partners and seeking new ones to achieve the best results
• Be inclusive by valuing diversity in all our work and providing a culture in which the Trust treats everyone fairly
• Demonstrate integrity by being open, honest and ethical
• Be generous by using the resources of the Trust to support the work of others who share our vision
• Demonstrate respect in all our relationships internally and externally

Equality, diversity and inclusion policy

Our vision at the Froebel Trust is of an inclusive organisation which is accessible to all. We recognise that to achieve this we must demonstrate equality, equity, diversity and inclusion in all that we do.

Everyone should feel represented and see themselves reflected in our policies and structures, our people, our audiences, our events, our projects and our publications.

It is the role of everyone working for and volunteering for the Froebel Trust to ensure our commitment to diversity and inclusion is nurtured and delivered. Find out more in our statement on equality, equity, diversity and inclusion: https://www.froebel.org.uk/equality-equity-diversity-inclusion