0-6 years Integrated System and preschool:

The Integrated Education System guarantees all children from birth until six years old equal opportunities to develop their potential for relationships, autonomy, creativity and learning to overcome inequalities and territorial, economic, ethnic, and cultural barriers.
The 0-6 years Integrated System which is not compulsory and last six years in total, is structured in:
- childhood educational services which welcome children between three and 36 months and are managed by local authorities, directly or through the stipulation of agreements by other public authorities or private individuals;
- preschool which welcomes children between three and six years, and can be managed by the State, and local authorities, directly or through the stipulation of agreements by other public authorities or private individuals.

Preschool

Preschool is part of the Integrated educational system from birth until six years old and is the first step of the educational programme. It lasts three years, it is not compulsory and it is open to all children between three and six years old.
Preschool provides education and fosters children’s emotional, psychomotor, cognitive, moral, religious and social development.
It has the goal of promoting relational, autonomy, creativity, and learning potential and focuses on assuring real equality of educational opportunities.
With respect to the educational role of parents, preschool contributes to the complete shaping of the children and thanks to its didactic and pedagogical autonomy and unity it contributes to the educational continuity in combination with the nursery school and primary school. The decree of the President of Republic n.89 of 2009 has regulated the reorganization of preschool and the first cycle of education.
Public preschool and private preschool both belong to the national education system.
Attendance to public preschool is free, and families are in charge of meal expenses, optional public transportation (school bus) and the potential extension of the timetable (pre-school or after-school service). The private preschool requires the payment of an attendance fee.
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Enrolment and early enrolment

Enrolment in preschool is allowed to children that turn three years old before the 31st of December of the same year. If requested by the families early enrolment is allowed to children that turn three years old before the 30th of April of the following year.
This opportunity depends on spots’ availability, depletion of possible waiting lists, availability of adequate buildings and equipment that comply with safety and functional standards that respond to the needs of children below three years old, the pedagogical and didactical evaluation from a teacher committee, and times and hospitality circumstances.
If spring sections are present, children turning 24 months old between the 1st of January and the 31st of December of the year of reference are allowed to enrol. Differently than anticipating enrolment, the spring sections have a specific project dedicated to this age target.

Organisation and time of operation

The time of operation of the preschool is established at 40 hours a week, with the possibility of extension until 50 hours. Families can request reduced school time, limited only to the morning slot for 25 hours a week in total.
The school institutions organize the educational activities for preschool by including the children in different sections according to timetable models chosen by the families.

Sections

The preschool sections are structured by law with a minimum number of 18 children and a maximum number of 26. It is possible to reach 29 children (article 9, Decree of the President of Republic 81 of 2009).
If the preschool sections include children with severe disabilities, those sections are structured by law with no more than 20 students.
The sections can be homogeneous or heterogeneous according to age.
The school can also organize activities in open sections, by combining groups of children from different sections.

National guidelines and educational and didactics activities

The national guidelines set targets for the development of the children’s competencies in each of the five ‘fields of experience’ on which the preschool educational and didactics activities are based:

The self and the other

Body and movement

Images, sounds, colours

Conversations and words

Knowledge of the world

Every field of experience offers objects, situations, images, and languages referring to symbolic systems of our culture capable to stimulate and support the learning of children making them more and more secure.
The national guidelines of 2012 have been updated in 2018 forecasting ‘new scenarios’ that focus on citizenship and sustainability education with reference to the Recommendation of the European Parliament, the European Union Council and the other objectives mentioned by ONU in their 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.

Didactics methodologies and the organisation of the day

Didactics methodologies refer especially to the tangible experience, to the exploration, to the discovery, to the game, to proceeding by attempts and mistakes, through conversation and exchange among peers and with adults.
Routines are highly important, as they consist of recurring moments throughout the day related to welcoming, well-being, hygiene, and interpersonal relation. These routines serve to regulate the daily rhythm and provide a safe base for new experiences and new stimuli helping children to orient themselves over time and strengthen their personal, cognitive, emotional and communication competencies. These routines include moments such as roll call, assignments attribution, care of the body, environment reorganisation, community meal, the rest, etc.
Ample room is given to playtime, during which children express themselves, narrate and elaborate creatively on their personal and social experiences.
Observation from teachers, performed in different ways, represents a fundamental tool to discover and support the children in all their developmental dimensions.
Documentation helps adults and children in keeping track, memorise and reflect on the individual and group learning progress. The assessment recognizes, supports, describes, and documents the growth processes of each child and it has an educational value.

Useful resources

Legal references

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