According to the perspective of multiple attachments, children establish significant relationships with individuals outside their family, such as teachers and peers. The aim of this research was to observe which dimensions of attachment behaviors that preschoolers show toward their teachers are associated with greater social preference and social…

This paper focuses on the integration of translanguaging practices in a public preschool situated in a small village in North-West of Italy. Mobility processes and local Italian families' school choices have led to the raise of the number of students with an immigrant background enrolled at the studied preschool up to 85%. After a brief overview…

Toddlers from low-income and language-minority immigrant families are at risk for language difficulties due to early disparities in the quality of their home language environment. The present longitudinal study extends previous research by investigating nursery teachers' communicative modalities and functions, and their relations with the…

This article discusses the practice of documentation in the early years education services of Pistoia, Italy. The findings, arising from a research study visit in May 2014, provide insights into the values and principles implicit in early childhood practice in the Pistoian "nidi d'infanzia" [nurseries] (for children from 3 months to 3…

Argumentation has been widely explored in primary and secondary school as an important opportunity to promote learning through the development of processes that are both social and cognitive. However, less attention has been devoted to the way argumentation begins to take shape in the early years, especially during conversations which take place…

In this article, I will examine the use of picture books as a means of supporting the intellectual pursuits of young children. Theoretical frameworks will be discussed as they pertain to the integration of these books in the Municipal Infant Toddler Centers and Preschools of Reggio Emilia and Pistoia, Italy. The pedagogical framework of these…

This article describes a didactic experience concerning the interaction between young children and the Continuator, an Interactive Reflexive Musical System (IRMS) elaborated at SONY- Computer Science Laboratory in Paris. The general aim was to analyse whether and how the Continuator can be used in the kindergartner during the daily school…

According to the findings of a recent European study on competence requirement for the early childhood education and care workforce, competent systems that succeed in achieving high levels of professionalism are embedded in coherent public policies that build on consultation with key stakeholders, particularly at local level. In order to flourish,…

Based on a study that compared four day nurseries in Italy with four in Spain and four in the United Kingdom, this paper examines one aspect of the comparison, the broad differences between the three countries in their approach to learning in day nurseries. Gives some practical examples about how concepts of education have been interpreted in the…

Details visit that demonstrated education principles of preschools in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Highlights six principles: (1) documentation to keep past alive; (2) relationality to understand how connections are built; (3) reciprocity to suggest different treatment of time; (4) collaboration to relate child to community; (5) transparency to build…

Drawing from several weeks of observation and study in Northern Italian preschools, this paper links practices in Reggio Emilia with the theoretical constructs of John Dewey, Susan Isaacs, and Howard Gardner. Part 1 presents background about the preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy, which are unique both in their respect for the space created for…

This monograph consists of seven papers that discuss issues related to the teaching approach used in the preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy. The papers are: (1) "Images from the World: Study Seminar on the Experience of the Municipal Infant-Toddler Centers and the Preprimary Schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy" (Lilian G. Katz), which…

In light of proposed changes in federal support for early childhood programs in the United States, this report provides an overview of the ways in which Denmark, France, and Italy provide early childhood programs to large numbers of children, promote high quality, and finance such programs. It reports that among 4-year-olds, 76 percent in Denmark…

This report on European developments in infant and toddler care services was prepared to help define issues and options for the improvement and expansion of infant and toddler care and family support systems in the United States. Introductory comments suggest that advanced industrialized countries have almost unanimously elected universal but…

The preschools operated by the municipality of Reggio Emilia in Emilia Romagna, Italy, have drawn the attention of early childhood educators worldwide. This paper describes five features of these preschools. First, the educational philosophy of the schools is influenced by the high value accorded to cooperation in nothern Italian culture; Bruner's…