Abstract

Over ten years after the approval of the Regional Law 1/2000 concerning educational services for early childhood, Emilia-Romagna intended to update its sector legislation, acknowledging the social changes occurred in the family structure and in the labor market, as well as the high structuration and diffusion of such services in the territorial context, result of a remarkable story and a meaningful culture of education quality. This resulted in a triptych of linked measures, consisting of a careful review of the regional law, of a new directive on organizational and structural standards, and of an inedited document setting out experimental guidelines for the preparation of the pedagogical project and for the quality evaluation. After confronting with the different actors of the system (public and private operators, local authorities and trade unions), the Region outlined a common path around three key words: quality, sustainability and flexibility. However, according to the author, in a national context characterized by huge territorial differences, the State should be the first to assume the burden of defining the fundamental principles and some national indications about the qualifications needed for the role of educator and about numerical ratios between teachers and children.