The document summarizes key aspects of the child care system in Italy. It describes the prominent Reggio Emilia approach, which was founded in Reggio Emilia and focuses on child-led learning, parental involvement, and collaboration between teachers and children. It also outlines the two main types of early childhood programs in Italy - Asili Nido for infants/toddlers and Scuola Materna for ages 3-6. These programs have high standards for teacher training but face challenges with high child-to-staff ratios and making care affordable for families. Overall the philosophy emphasizes seeing children as competent learners and the environment as a teacher.

1. CHILD CARE a global perspective: ITALY GROUP MEMEBERS: ANNA, AMY, SHARMILA AND SHIREEN

2. Ambarabai ciccì coccònonsense rhyme Italian version English version Ambarabai ciccì coccò, Ambarabai ciccì coccò * tre civette sul comò Three owls on the chest of che facevano l'amore drawers con la figlia del dottore. That made love Il dottore le chiamò, With the doctor's daughter. ambarabai ciccì coco. Ambarabai ciccì coccò.**

5. This approach was founded in a city called Emilia Romagna, a city in northern Italy.

6. After world war two a young teacher named Loris Malaguzzi founded the Reggio Emilia approach. Malaguzzi joined forces with parents for this city to provide child care for children.

7. This was supposed to inspire women to go back into the work force. It is only within the last fifty years that this approach has developed into the unique program that has caught the attention of early years centers throughout the world.

9. Attention is focused more on in depth projects to help children learn and develop skills

10. Children’s learning is recorded and tracked in visual form.

11. Parental involvement is strongly recommended and encouraged by early child care staff.

12. Both adults and children work strongly together.

13. Children are seen to be more like having full potential, competent and capable of building their own

15. From 1925 to 1975, Mussolini ran an ONMI service "(National Organization For Mothers And Infants)“

16. For most Italians during the 20th century, at home child care has been the norm and the ideal, because caring for the young was considered a family responsibility.

18. 70 - 90% of children attend the "Scuola Materna" (3-6 year olds)

19. Most of these facilities are in schools and are free under the Ministry of Education, but a considerable number are not and charge fees. These facilities operate 8 hours per day, September to June.

20. Child staff ratios are typically fairly high, ( 7:1 for infants and toddlers ) (20:1 or higher for ages 3-6)

21. "Paid maternity leave is available for 5 months and another 10 months of parental leave is available at much lower compensation“

22. "ScuolaMaterna” & “AsiliNido” System Form Age of children opening hours Administrative Auspices

23. AsiliNido

24. AsiliNido

25. AsiliNido

26. AsiliNido

27. ScuolaMaterna

28. ScuolaMaterna

29. ScuolaMaterna

30. ScuolaMaterna

32. The government is offering families $1000 Euros for families who already have one child and can have another child by 2004.

33. The government is hoping this will provide a short term solution for the population imbalance.

34. The decrease in population is due to it being difficult to combine work and motherhood as well as most child care is very costly. This making it very expensive for both parents to work and pay for

35. child care. Therefore parents must choose to work or choose parenthood. (can not afford both)

36. On the other hand of having this child bonus for extra children, it has put a time frame on having babies, this is seen to be as discriminatory and some felt 1000 Euros would be better spent on investing in affordable state child care.

37. Italy has one of the lowest birth rates in the world- 1.2 children per women. The increase that took place in 2009 was accredited to the large increase in immigrant families.

38. In the rural countries of Italy the elderly outnumber the young children because of the Italian birth crisis. In these rural areas some local administrators are offering their own incentives to try to reverse this trend.

41. Teachers are encouraged to facilitate the child’ s learning by planning activities and lessons based on the child’s interests, asking questions to further understanding, and actively engaging in the activities alongside the child, instead of sitting back and observing the child learning. As partner to the child, the teacher is inside the learning situation.

44. Much of what occurs in Reggio Emilia classrooms, resemble a constructivist approach to early childhood education.

45. The image of the child includes seeing him as strong, competent, capable of constructing his own thoughts, and having great potential to offer the world.

46. Educators believe that learning is spiral not linear, the physical environment creates beauty & supports open ended teaching and learning.

47. There is great concern for what the environment is teaching. The environment itself becomes the 3rd teacher in an addition to the two classroom teachers.

48. Educator’s belief that children have right to environments that support the development of their many languages. Further embedded in the Reggio Emilia philosophy is the notion that children’s interactions and relationships with other children and adults are vital component of learning.