Educational continuity in ECEC services (0-6): a challenge for future Italian educators and teachers

The theme of educational continuity, emphasized and encouraged by pedagogical discourse and current European and Italian regulations in Early childhood education and care, is considered central in ECEC services’ (0-6) educational proposals. From a pedagogical perspective, this theme is closely related to the contemporary view of the child as an integral, active, and free person from birth (Scaglia 2020). A child who has the right to access a quality educational path throughout all stages of their life, in which, through the sharing and co-design of an educational pact between family and educational figures, they will be guided towards the enhancement of their potential and the full development of their capabilities (Eurydice 2023; Hansen, Ringsmose 2023). In this way, the child actively participates in a formative - unitary and transformative – process (Potestio 2020). This vision foresees an educational action characterized by circularity, flexibility, and awareness (European Commission 2021; Hansen, Ringsmose 2023), which often clashes with the organizational diferentiation of the Italian educational and scholastic system and of the paths leading to the professional qualification eligible to work in the ECEC services. In Italy, in fact, there are two academic paths dedicated to the training of new educators/teachers: the bachelor’s degree in educational sciences, with a focus on Early Childhood (L-19) and the single-cycle master's degree in Primary Education Sciences (LM-85bis). The presentation aims to highlight the historical, educational and organizational similarities and diferences between the professional profile of the nursery school educator (0-3) and the pre-school teacher (3-6) who, in Italy, are trained through the two above-mentioned study paths.