Abstract

Legislative decree no. 65/2017 represents a turning point in Italian childcare policy by instituting a system integrating Early Childhood Educational and Care (ECEC) services for children from 0 to 6 years old. For the first time the State is responsible for services concerning 0-3 years old, being committed to their expansion and to a substantial increase in the quality of all ECEC systems. However, the incremental approach adopted with realism by the reformers, the limited availability of funds and the partial shortage of professional and organisational resources of the Ministry of Education might convert these universalistic targets into minimal changes.