TFIEY Overview of ECEC Provisions in Italy: Diversity and New Challenges
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TFIEY Overview of ECEC Provisions in Italy: Diversity and New Challenges Susanna Mantovani Università degli studi di Milano-Bicocca, Torino, Gennaio 2016 Presentation Overview 1. The National Context 2. New Perspectives (Law 107/2015) ‘an integrated 0-6 system’ 3. Challenges 4. What do teachers and parents think: first data from the CARE Project 1. The National Context 1.1 Children in Italy: some data ► Children 0-5: 3.300.874 ► Children birth rate decreasing since 2008 ► Today: - 1,42% ► Less children in each family, born later (average age of first child: 30,6 years) (Data Source: ISTAT, 2014) Italy faces major changes and ECEC reflects them with lights and shadows: ► in recent years we can observe in Italy a growing engagement in promoting the rights of children: Italy has since 5 years a National Independent Authority for children (“Garante dell’Infanzia”) and Regional Authorities; ► the National Observatory on Childhood and Adolescence and the Childhood Parliament Commissions are networking with a large and significant groups of non profit organizations (e.g.C.R.C.) and initiatives like TFIEY; ► Health and inclusion have strong points: - all resident children have a right to a pediatrician chosen by their family; - children with disabilities and socially disadvantaged children have priority in ECEC. ► On the other hand economic crisis, political instability, diversity in local administrations’ efficiency have caused an unbalanced distribution of resources emphasizing difficulties. ►ECEC reflects the tension between local and national policies: an example is PAC (Piano Azione Coesione) ,a program directed to four Southern Regions (Puglia, Campania, Sicilia, Calabria) earmarking structural funds (400 millions for ECEC): to the present time, only part of these funds has been used, while many other Regions and Cities in other part of the country are struggling for resources. ►The first challenge is to generalize the provisions for children 3-6; ►the second is to extend 0-3 services to fulfill Lisbon goals; ►the third is to implement an integrated 0-6 system, keeping as compass the rights of all children, shared ideas on quality and sustainability and within a regular and predictable financing policy; ►the fourth challenge is to find a balance between local traditions and a common national policy. ► The system is at present split and the process of integration – both in the sense of governance and of continuity within services is in motion but the diversity of ECEC creates obstacles in reaching integration which require strong efforts in a short time as required by the new bill 107/2015. ► There is diversity in distribution of services, in hours offered, in professional development, in costs, in fees families have to deal with the 0-3 services. ► Data are fragmented and collected with different criteria from the reliable sources (ISTAT, Istituto degli Innocenti, MIUR, Municipal Statistical Sources. etc.). This presentation deals mainly with Nidi (0-3, Infant Toddler Centres) which are by and large the most extended and requested services. ► A number of other ECEC services have developed since the Mid Eighties and are at present attended by 4-5% of children between 0-3: - part-time or Home Based Centres for Children and Families (CBF) (Mantovani, 2001; Bove & Di Giandomenico, 2015) financed locally through the Bill 285/1997; - Sezioni Primavera (children 2-3), bridging to Scuola dell’Infanzia, located in Nidi or Scuole dell’Infanzia and supported by the Ministry of Education (MIUR). ► The integrated 0-6 system will need to encompass these services, finding a balance between local flexibility and national regulations. 1.2 The Italian ECEC System 92% + coverage & 2% ca Sezioni 3-6 Primavera SCUOLA DELL’INFANZIA Pre-primary schools & Sezioni Primavera Ministry of Education ECEC 19% coverage SYSTEM 0-3 NIDI (from 1% to 40%) & Creche, Infant-Toddler 2% ca. Sezioni Centers Primavera 0-3 OTHER SERVICES (parent-child) & Sezioni Regions and Primavera Municipalities 0-3 NIDO AND OTHER 3-6 SCUOLA SERVICES DELL’INFANZIA & Sezioni Primavera Infant Toddler Centre (Nido): a full-time service Pre-primary education on ‘individual service as a right on demand’ Part-time or Home- A ‘public service’ for all, based Services but not yet compulsory No Guidelines or Local Guidelines National Guidelines 3-6 SCUOLA 0-3 NIDO AND OTHER DELL’INFANZIA & SERVICES Sezioni Primavera State, Recognized and State supported Municipal, Cooperative (Municipal, FISM, Associations, others Method-based, Others), Private Scuola dell’infanzia: National Nidi: National 19% of 95 % + of attendance attendance Sezioni-primavera Other 0-3 services (including Sezioni and «anticipo» Primavera): 4-5% ca. (mainly South) 2-3% of attendance Children attending Scuola dell’Infanzia (3-6): 92% ca + Children attending Nido (0-3): 19% Children with Immigrant background attending S.I (3-6): 9 % + Children with certified disabilities in State S.I (3-6): 1,5% ca (Data sources: MIUR, Fondazione ISMU 2015, CRC 2015) 1.3 Teachers/Caregivers Qualification ► Scuola dell’infanzia (3-6) : University: 5 years qualifying for primary and preprimary schools (obligatory since 2012, 4 years since 1999) ► Nido d’infanzia (0-3) : secondary school with socio-educational curriulum (compulsory); Bachelor in Education (increasing but not compulsory) ►In service Professional Development: 40-50 hours per year + team work (in municipal services) 1.4 Adult-child ratio Nido (0-3): Regional criteria – Average 1:7 Scuola dell’infanzia (3-6) 1:25 Sezioni Primavera (2-3) 1:15 1.5 National distribution 0-3 services Trento: 20,1 Valle d’Aosta: 20,6 % Lombardia: 16,9 % Emilia Romagna: 27% Toscana: 21,9% Lazio (Roma): 17,2 Calabria: 2,1 % Campania: 2,7% Distribution by Region (Fonte: ISTAT 2014) Children attending Nido and other Municipal services (0-3) in some Italian cities Trento: 20,1% Milano: 26% Torino: 30,9% Reggio Emilia: 40,34% Roma: 27,8% 1.6 Scuola dell’infanzia (3-6) A split system: State, Municipal and Others Children attending Scuola dell’infanzia: 92 % distribuited as follows: ► Children attending State Scuole dell’Infanzia: 56,8 % (of which 10% c.a – mainly distribuited in the South - attending only in the morning) ► Children attending Municipal Scuole dell’Infanzia: 8,3 % ► Children attending other official recognized, Non-Municipal Schools (FISM Federation of catholic Schools): 26,4 % Children attending Municipal Scuole dell’infanzia (3-6) Torino: Milano: Municipal: 40% Municipal: 70% + Roma: Reggio Emilia: Municipal: 40% Municipal: 43% + Children attending Scuole dell’infanzia (3-6) FISM (Federation of Catholic Schools) Padova: 67% Verona: 42% Torino: 45% Ferrara: 53%+ Reggio Emilia: 40% Milano: 22% The slides show that the big average cities Scuola dell’Infanzia (3-6) is mainly provided by Cities (Municipal Schools) or FISM. Municipal and FISM Schools offer more weekly hours and more opening weeks per year. Considering that Nidi (0-3) are to a very large extent provided by the Municipal System it is clear that the perspective of an integrated system focussed on continuity cannot overlook this variety of deeply rooted and often high quality experiences. Cities of the North and Centre , with a strong Municipal tradition or cities with a strong tradition of Catholic schools are major providers of 0-6 ECEC services and have in many cases experience of 0-6 continuity and good integration among providers as foreseen by the new law. Once again the distribution ( or concentration) of ECEC dpes not allow to average the data of ECEC 2. Perspectives and challenges for the future 2.1 Perspectives ► Italian ECEC has contributed to the development of ideas and experiences in ECEC, which have influenced the conceptualization and the lexicon, the metaphors of the ECEC in-language. ► In recent years Italian ECEC has mainly tried to resist to difficulties and financial cuts rather than expand in extension and in new perspectives. ► From these difficulties and from a stronger contact with other systems – to learn from them rather than being looked at as a model – new ideas and “generative” solutions are emerging and we are facing a great opportunity. ► The superdiversity Italy is facing with all other countries which have developed an ECEC system urges a deep refocusing of organizational ad pedagogical priorities for all our children. ► Inclusion of all children, and priority access for more vulnerable children, is sustained by the national and local legislation, but ECEC services and professionals have not yet developed effective practices shared at National level. ► In the lack of research on outcomes some recent and original research clearly indicates the positive effect of ECEC services attendance to prevent marginalization and school failure (Del Boca, 2014) but children with new vulnerabilities and in particular children with an immigration background are exposed to high risks. ► The irregular distribution of services, the erratic funding and the unequal capacity of central and local authorities to implement quality and quantity are major problems. ► There is a wide diversity in calendar and timing, costs, fees for families for the 0-3 services in regular professional development. ► EEC for the very young (0-3) poses affordability questions for providers and families. ► As consequence for the first time in many years, we observe a decrease in attending ECEC in certain areas of the Country, while elsewhere there are still with waiting lists in or a total absence of provisions. ► It is time for a national ECEC policy which can mediate between common rules and goals and local good practices, values and traditions. ►The well known Italian experiences are also those where organization and costs are better monitored to maximize quality and sustainability: in contradiction with current beliefs the most valued experience– Reggio Emilia – is one of the best instances of careful cost control, active fundraising, integration between municipal, state and private non profit providers and sustainability: children in ECEC services in Reggio Emilia cost considerably less than in much weaker services elsewhere.