REDESIGNING CHILDHOOD EDUCATIONAL SERVICES DURING THE SANITARIAN EMERGENCY: AN EXPLORATORY SURVEY IN THE ITALIAN CONTEXT

In Italy, the health emergency determined the suspension, starting from the month of March of the 2019/20 academic year, of in person educational activities in all schools of all levels and of educational services for early childhood throughout the national territory. After the Distance Learning experience of the 2020/21 academic year, the government prepared specific guidelines to ensure the safe reopening of schools and to combat the pandemic. In educational services aimed at the 0-6 age group, the new emergency situation has led to a rethinking of learning spaces and times. More specifically, the sections have been organized in so-called "bubbles", i.e., small stable groups made up of the same children, who refer to the same educator and who use dedicated spaces. The paper aims to contribute to the pedagogical and didactic review of the activities proposed during the pandemic in the integrated educational services aimed at boys and girls aged between 0 and 6 years, with specific reference to the activities carried out in small groups. This paper contains the results of an exploratory survey involving 17 educators of five early childhood services operating in the Greater Rome area. Qualitative and quantitative tools were used for the collection of data on the organizational aspects in the "bubbles" and on the methods of carrying out the activities with the children. To better understand the relationships between educator and child, the same observation grid was proposed in two forms: outside-evaluation, introduced by an expert figure external to the structure, and self-assessment, adopted by the educators. At the end of the observation period, focus groups were carried out with the educators and managers of the structures involved, in order to better understand the strengths and weaknesses related to the establishment of the "bubbles". The results of the survey can contribute to enhancing in the future what has been learned during the period of this health emergency, in order to redefine and qualify the training on offer of educational services dedicated to children.