Abstract:

In Italy, from March 2020 the sanitarian emergency determined the suspension of face-to-face educational activities of schools of all levels and of early childhood education services all over the country. After the experience of distance learning, in the academic year 2020/21 the government approved specific guidelines to ensure a safe reopening of schools and counter the pandemic.

In educational services for children aged 0-6, this emergency situation implied a rethinking of learning spaces and times. In particular, classes have been organized in the so-called "bubbles", namely small self-sufficient groups always formed by the same children who refer to the same educator in dedicated spaces.

The present paper intends to contribute to the pedagogic and didactic debate on the activities proposed during the pandemic for the integrated educational services aimed at boys and girls aged between 0 and 6, with specific reference to small group activities. This paper reports on the results of an exploratory survey which involved 15 educators from four early childhood services operating in the area of Rome. The research made use of both qualitative and quantitative tools for the presentation of the data on the organizational aspects in the “bubbles” and on the methods adopted in the activities with children. To enhance the relationship between educator and child, a single observation grid was proposed in two different forms: in hetero-observation, introduced by an expert figure outside the structure, and in the form of self-observation, used by the educators. At the end of the observation period, semi-structured interviews were carried out with the educators and with the managers of the structures involved in order to investigate upon positive and negative consequences deriving from the introduction of "bubbles".

The results of the survey can contribute to enhance in the future what has been learned during the period of sanitarian emergency, in order to redesign and qualify the training offer of educational services dedicated to children.

Keywords:

Sanitarian emergency, exploratory survey, childhood, educational re-design, educational services.