The ZeroSei Educational Services of the City of Bologna open up to an international dimension by participating in various projects with other European countries and within the framework of the Erasmus+ Program

Experiences and dialogued reflections

Two pedagogists from the City of Bologna took part in an intense mobility experience in Brussels, inserting themselves in a “future-oriented” educational context. The path was characterized by a constant comparison with other educational realities involved (Belgium, Sweden, Spain, Latvia and Italy) and by a methodology of working in mixed groups, encouraging an exchange of good practices and the sharing of innovative educational solutions between educators, teachers and school leaders of different nationalities on various topics.

Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice

The visit to the Brussels Migration Museum offered a deep immersion in the themes of super-diversity and cultural roots, analyzed through the lens of the socio-political history of migratory flows. The experience highlighted the unique identity of Brussels — today the second most cosmopolitan city in the world — underlining how understanding migration dynamics is a fundamental prerequisite for promoting real social justice within educational services.

Relationship and Support for Families

The reflection on the centrality of the relationship with families was guided by the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989).
The ability to promote the active participation of girls, boys and families, breaking down linguistic and cultural barriers and relational asymmetries, must be considered an essential professional competence.
The experience was enriched by a visit to the Huis van het Kind in Anderlecht, a center for families that represents a strategic territorial resource for parenting support and access to services, confirming the importance of integrating the school into a larger community welfare system.

STEAM

The STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) approach has been explored through excellent laboratory settings, where art acts as a mediator to stimulate scientific curiosity and critical thinking.
The main stages have highlighted innovative pedagogical models:

• Wonderlab (Hogeschool Brussels)
• MUMABOT Project
• BRoll (Brussels Open Living Lab)

These experiences underline how the integration between expressive languages and technologies can undermine traditional educational models, promoting flexible, inclusive learning that is deeply connected to urban and social reality.

Internationalization

The international dimension has been analyzed as a structural and decisive element of the school system. Although it may sometimes appear 'invisible', it operates on multiple organizational levels to transform the entity's identity:

• Learning culture: internationalization translates into the creation of a continuous learning environment, capable of opening up to global practices and welcoming innovation as a daily working method.
• Vision and Governance: the success of this process depends on a shared vision of objectives and strategies, supported by the willingness of managers and coordinators to enhance transnational collaborations.
• Reflective capacity: openness to Europe becomes a tool for self-evaluation, allowing the school to reflect on its strengths and areas for improvement through constant comparison with other educational systems.

Sustainability

Promoting sustainability in the educational field means, first of all, creating a horizontal relationship between teachers, girls and boys: a creative dialogue where everyone can make a difference. It is not enough to know, we must act with respect for nature and for others. Educating girls and boys in an interdisciplinary way allows them to understand how the environment, economy and society are linked together. This commitment is enshrined in the 2030 Agenda (Goal 4): in fact, Article 4.7 establishes that, within the decade, every student must have the tools to build a fairer world that respects the planet.

Erasmus+ mobility in Linköping and Motala

Financing: PNRR_2024-1-IT02-KA121-SCH-000220764

Study mobility in Sweden has allowed a team of education professionals from the City of Bologna to deepen the Swedish school system, focusing on strategic management and innovative pedagogical practices in the municipalities of Linköping and Motala. The experience offered a complete overview, from national legislation to the daily management of services for 1-6 years, highlighting how Swedish national legislation translates into direct municipal responsibilities that encompass the entire educational period, from preschool to high school, up to adult training.

The journey began with an in-depth analysis of local governance at the Linköping Town Hall. The central themes of the discussion concerned:

• Quality development: an in-depth analysis of the continuous improvement processes that involve the various organizational levels, supporting management in the implementation of effective educational policies.
• Language enhancement: in response to demographic changes, the municipality has set the teaching of Swedish as a priority objective. This challenge involves not only children, but also support and assistance staff who are often not native speakers, ensuring educational consistency
and professional quality.

The subsequent visit to a kindergarten with international users showed how these objectives translate into inclusive practices and efficient meal management, an integral part of the training offer.

At Motala, the focus has shifted to technical tools for monitoring quality and on the organization of services.

• Result and impact indicators: The group has analyzed self-evaluation and heteroevaluation methods, focusing on how coordination between the various municipal functions makes it possible to plan staff improvement and training actions with a recursive and targeted schedule.
• Organization of spaces and routines: at the Sagomossen kindergarten, the observation concerned the optimization of environments according to teaching activities and daily routines, such as rest and personal care.
• Food management: the complex meal management system, from kitchen technical equipment to distribution logistics, has been analyzed, designed to promote children's autonomy and professional efficiency.

Particular emphasis has been given to the “24/24 School” model, a service capable of welcoming children from 1 to 13 years old on a continuous basis. This model offered ideas on shift management, on maintaining adult-child numerical relationships and on inclusion strategies in extended community welfare settings.

The Swedish experience has provided benchmarking tools to reflect on the integration between administrative and pedagogical functions.
This international mobility has reinforced the awareness of the importance of structured quality monitoring systems, offering reference models for the innovation of Bolognese educational services from an increasingly European perspective.

Job Shadowing a Las Norias de Daza

The job shadowing period in Las Norias de Daza (Spain) offered a group consisting of two teachers, two educators and a local manager the opportunity to immerse themselves in a school reality characterized by an important cultural diversity.

The “Sol de Portocarrero” kindergarten operates in an area characterized by a high agricultural vocation (greenhouse cultivation), which attracts a constant migratory flow. This demographic peculiarity has been transformed by the institute into the fulcrum of its educational identity, making reception and integration not only a practice, but a fundamental value.

During the international mobility, the participants analyzed how the school promotes European values on a daily basis through teaching styles aimed at encouraging active participation, mutual respect and intercultural dialogue. The educational designs observed are distinguished by an integrated approach

that combines:

• Education for peace and conflict resolution.
• Environmental protection and sustainability.
• S.T.E.A.M. Disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics), designed for early childhood.

A distinctive aspect of the Spanish reality is the deep cohesion of the territorial network. The school collaborates systematically with city institutions and local associations, building a solid educational alliance that effectively supports the needs of families.

The group's participation in the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 25 was significant: teachers, girls and boys paraded through the streets of the city, testifying how the school is a political and social actor active in the promotion of universal rights.

The experience has confirmed the importance of the Erasmus+ program in creating transnational ties. The discussion with Spanish colleagues has laid the foundations for future collaborations and joint projects, enriching the professional background of the staff involved and offering new pedagogical tools to be transferred into the context of the educational services of origin.

Services involved: kindergartens, Degli Esposto, Rocca, De Giovanni kindergartens, Doremì.

Job shadowing in Coimbra and Figueira da Foz

The Erasmus+ mobility involved 2 pedagogists, 5 nursery educators and 2 kindergarten teachers in Coimbra and Figueira da Foz, Portugal.
The experience, focused on the themes of Respect Education and Outdoor Education, took place within the Bissaya Barreto Foundation.

Initially, the group jointly visited the Casa da Criança Maria Granado (service 0-6) and the Colégio Bissaya Barreto (primary school) in Coimbra, and the Casa da Criança S. Julião (service 0-6) in Figueira da Foz. This phase allowed an initial overview of local education systems.

The reception was characterized by warmth and professionalism, with gestures of mutual gratitude such as the exchange of Italian silent books and homemade Portuguese notebooks for the collection of suggestions and ideas.

The educational services impressed the participants for the care of the spaces, designed not as rigid sections, but as thematic “rooms”. A flexible and organized model of educational rotation has been found, which guarantees a diversification of experiences for girls, boys and adults. The quality and quantity of the documentation was noted, often supported by the use of images to involve girls, boys and families.

An element of great interest was the distinctly ecological and sustainable vision integrated into daily practices, with active projects on respect and care for the environment. The services make extensive use of recycled and recycled materials for outdoor equipment and games.

In particular, Casa da Criança Maria Granado has access to a 'forest' owned by the Foundation, where girls and boys live an immersive outdoor educational experience, carrying out most of their daily activities there, including meals and rest. The Casa da Criança S. Julião, a member of the national project “Eco Escolas”, has also highlighted a strong commitment to the use of outdoor spaces, with vegetable gardens, mud installations and structures made with recycled materials.

In the following days, the group divided up a more focused job shadowing, allowing them to deepen their relationship with local teams, observe daily routines and dynamics. The time dedicated to documentation, collecting notes and sharing impressions was a fundamental part of the experience.

The staff of the Bolognese services returned with numerous food for thought and new awareness of the similarities and differences between educational contexts. The experience has also strengthened collaboration and mutual knowledge between colleagues, creating a climate of sharing and lightness that goes beyond work objectives, contributing to the strengthening of the institution's human capital.

Services involved: Cantalamessa and Neri kindergartens, Acquerello, Aquilone, Cavazzoni, Gramsci and Mazzoni kindergartens.

Job shadowing in Berlin

The Erasmus+ mobility led 1 pedagogue, 2 kindergarten teachers and 1 nursery educator in Berlin, an experience that combined intense cultural immersion with valuable job shadowing in the city's 0-6 educational services.

Since their arrival, the participants have explored Berlin's rich and often touching historical heritage. Among the highlights, the visit to the Topography of Terror, Check Point Charlie and the Memorial for Murdered Jews in Europe offered moments of profound reflection on the impact of history. The Brandenburg Gate and the East Side Gallery have also helped to outline the complex identity of the German capital, which has proved to be iridescent and full of contradictions. The varied architecture, from historic elements to modern structures such as St. Hedwig's Church, and the effervescence of areas such as Alexander Platz and the areas along the Spree, have completed a vibrant picture of the city.

The heart of the Erasmus+ experience was job shadowing at Kita Haubach and Kita Olbersstrasse. The participants were divided into pairs, alternating visits to the two services to maximize observation and comparison. The reception was courteous and well organized, with staff dedicated to guiding the experiences. The opportunity to interact with school staff from different backgrounds, including an Italian educator, has further enriched the exchange.

International mobility has made it possible to get to know local educational practices up close and to start a first elaboration of the observations made, often in significant places such as the Tempelhof park.

Services involved: Anna Serra kindergarten plexus 2, Marighetto, La Trottola kindergarten.

Job shadowing in Brussels

The Erasmus+ mobility in Brussels involved 1 pedagogue, 1 nursery educator and 3 kindergarten teachers and offered the participants a rich and complex experience, revealing the city as a multi-faceted Northern European capital. Brussels presented itself as a place of fascinating contrasts — artistic and popular, regal and humble, cosmopolitan and provincial — reflecting its multilingual and multicultural identity, but also its contradictions. Transport efficiency and attention to sustainability coexist with intrinsic complexities, making the experience a true 'metaphor' for European challenges.

Within the educational services visited, a remarkable quality of the educational offer emerged, often in the face of limited resources. The warm welcome and the availability found made the exchange particularly significant. A salient aspect was the observation of Dutch schools where girls and boys, even of the third or fourth generation with foreign origins, demonstrate trilingualism in an officially bilingual city (Dutch and French).

The experience made it possible to appreciate the solidity of the Bolognese educational culture for early childhood, characterized by a close integration between politics and pedagogical vision in daily practices. Brussels is taking its first steps in the inclusion of girls and boys with disabilities in public settings.

A particularly effective model found are the “Huis van het Kind” (centers for children and parents), capable of creating spaces and activities that promote encounter and self-organization between families, counteracting the sense of isolation that can emerge in a big city.

The Erasmus Hogeschool in Brussels welcomed the participants with enthusiasm, promoting a climate of fruitful exchange. In particular, university training for pedagogical coaches was presented, with a focus on identity and narrative aspects, essential for supporting educational personnel in complex contexts. The mobility ended with the intention of continuing the collaboration, exploring the opportunity for internships for Dutch students at Bolognese child services, in order to deepen inclusive practices and encourage their transfer to Belgium.

Services involved: Ada Negri kindergartens, Anna Serra plexus 1, Arco Guidi Costa, Carli kindergarten.

An innovative training program

The staff of the municipalities of Bologna, San Lazzaro di Savena and Imola, all members of the SERN network, participated in the first edition of an innovative training program funded by the European Union.

The course is designed to enhance the skills of ECEC professionals and open up new international perspectives within educational services. An opportunity for teachers, educators, pedagogists and pedagogists, and school leaders, both for those taking their first steps in the world of international projects and for those who want to deepen the ECEC's internationalization strategies.

The training course, curated by SERN experts, combined classroom lessons with individual or group work, to put into practice the new knowledge acquired.

Achieved results:

• development of ECEC skills with a global perspective: the integration of an international perspective in daily work with girls and boys has been explored;
• design of strategies and activities for more international ECEC contexts: the participants have acquired the necessary tools to make their educational environments more open to the world;
• acquisition of practical tools for international collaboration: the course provided the concrete basis for initiating and managing European partnership projects.

The City of Bologna, as an associate partner of the SERN | Sweden Emilia Romagna Network consortium, is participating in the project INTEC, which aims to develop an innovative in-service training model for the staff of nurseries and kindergartens.

Conference at the Erasmus Hogeschool Brussels, Belgium

A pedagogue participated in the International Days in Brussels from 3 to 6 December 2024 to illustrate the 0-6 year Integrated System of the City of Bologna.
Our pedagogue also conducted a workshop that gave the participants the opportunity to address the topic of inclusion using different languages such as body expression techniques and theater.

The participation in the International Days was an opportunity to organize part of the upcoming international mobility of municipal educational and school services staff scheduled for 2025.

During the International Days, professors, researchers and staff had the exclusive opportunity to:

• exchange good practices and strategies related to internationalization;
• participate in workshops and collaborate on new research ideas;
• participate in networking opportunities in Brussels' rich artistic and cultural environment;
• establish and strengthen connections with international partners, improving the professional network.

The work of innovating educational practices continues

3 teachers, 1 educator and 1 pedagogue went to Sweden to continue the work on the acquisition of innovative practices in preschool services started during previous international mobility.
In particular, they had the opportunity to deepen the use of extensive communication (sign language, CAA, multilingual communication) and documentation addressed to families, to girls and boys, to the entire work group.

The staff also had the opportunity to gain experience in the nearby town of Vanersborg.

Services involved: Bolzani kindergartens, Fantini kindergartens, Scarlatti kindergartens, Anne Frank kindergarten.

The activity took place as part of the RIEPPS project | Research and innovation of educational practices in child services.

The work of innovating educational practices continues

3 teachers, 1 educator and 1 pedagogue went to Sweden to continue the work on the acquisition of innovative practices in preschool services started during previous international mobility.
In particular, they had the opportunity to deepen the use of extensive communication (sign language, CAA, multilingual communication) and documentation addressed to families, to girls and boys, to the entire work group.

Services involved: Andersen kindergarten, Betti 3 kindergarten, Lanzarini kindergarten, Fresu kindergarten.

The activity took place as part of the RIEPPS project | Research and innovation of educational practices in child services.

Dissemination of the results of the RIEPPS project

On the occasion of the Erasmus Days (14-19 October 2024), the staff of the ZeroSei services involved in Erasmus+ mobility presented the results of the RIEPPS project: Research and innovation of educational practices in children's services during the conference Democratic Education: an international focus during the Pedagogical Weeks 2024 festival.

The staff of the services involved had the opportunity to discuss with the Swedish experts also during a training seminar on current practices and future objectives.

The activity took place as part of the RIEPPS project | Research and innovation of educational practices in child services.

Meeting in Parma, Italy

The project partners met to work on the contents of the next transnational training seminars for ECEC staff with focuses of interest such as:

• social and green sustainability;
• internationalization of child services;
• family participation;
• diversity and inclusion;
• STEAM education.

The City of Bologna, as an associate partner of the SERN | Sweden Emilia Romagna Network consortium, participates in the INTEC project, which aims to develop an innovative in-service training model for nursery and kindergarten staff.

for setting up projects within the framework of Erasmus+

A pedagogue and a project manager from the Education Area participated from 19 to 25 May in a course dedicated to the study, in-depth analysis and development of strategies regarding mobility projects, choice of possible partners, evaluation of objectives with new work focuses for problem solving practices, communication and dissemination of projects in the Erasmus+ field.

The activity took place as part of the RIEPPS project | Research and innovation of educational practices in child services.

The exchange group on the practice of open work meets colleagues from Swedish pre-school services

A second group of teachers, pedagogists and educators went to Bergsviken kindergartens in the Municipality of Piteå, located in the Gulf of Bothnia, 900 km from Stockholm and 100 km from the Arctic Circle.

Job shadowing is a particular type of training in which a person follows and closely observes another person while doing their job.

The educational services of this Municipality manage preschool activities focusing on combining the development of students' skills with participation in outdoor activities (Outdoor Education) and in close collaboration with families. This synergy allows for a high qualitative development of the educational proposal.

The municipal ZeroSEI Services involved in this exchange are the Gramsci and Mazzoni kindergartens; the Marighetto and Marsili kindergartens.

The activity took place as part of the RIEPPS project | Research and innovation of educational practices in child services.

The exchange group on the practice of open work meets colleagues from Swedish pre-school services

Job shadowing is a particular type of training in which a person follows and closely observes another person while doing their job.

5 teachers, 5 educators and 4 pedagogists from municipal child services 0-6 left for the first exchange in three schools from 1 to 6 years old in the Swedish city of Norrköping, two hours from Stockholm.

The job shadowing activity was proposed to a group of representatives of the services involved in the practice of open work and is linked to the predetermined objectives, namely the development of innovative practices for a perspective of change that starts from the daily life of services, where girls and boys are the real protagonists. It is a matter of realizing the concept of inclusion, offering learning environments as a mirror of an open and democratic society, in which anyone can participate and contribute: thus building more flexible and inclusive services, supporting the desire of girls and boys to discover the world through practical experiences in child services, as in a real society.

Teachers and educators took a direct part in school life in Swedish services, experiencing educational work firsthand and were able to share reflections on the pedagogical focuses included in the exchange (democratic education, aesthetic education and participation).

The Municipal Zero Services involved are the Carli, Cavazzoni, Coccheri, La Trottola kindergartens; the Anna Serra 2, Ceccarelli, Don Milani, Flora, Mago Merlino kindergartens; the One-Six Pezzoli Service.

The activity took place as part of the RIEPPS project | Research and innovation of educational practices in child services.

Visit to the Plesso Grosso in Bologna

A group of 8 girls and boys, accompanied by parents and three teachers, comes from the La Julianita Children's Education School in the city of Aracena, in the province of Huelva in Spain, and for a week they will be a guest at the Grosso municipal kindergarten in the Navile district.

Together with the Grosso kindergarten, with the collaboration of the Grosso nursery school, the Tasso Inventore Children and Families Center and the Parco Grosso Educational Room Territorial Service, together with the collaboration of the families of the Polo Grosso, they will have the opportunity to visit the city and the many opportunities it offers to families.

This is one of the first experiences in Europe of mobility abroad for kindergarten girls and boys within the Erasmus+ mobility program: a unique opportunity for exchange and this first reception experience may lead the way, in the near future, even for boys and girls who attend our services.

Listen to the interview with Alessia Cingolani aired in the episode of Caterpillar on Rai Radio 2 on April 18, 2024.

Preparatory visit in Piteå, Sweden

Three pedagogists from the Municipality of Bologna visited the Municipality of Piteå and its educational services for a discussion on educational models different from the already known Bolognese reality.
An enriching experience that has allowed us to build work focuses on new educational practices, food for thought for innovative thoughts that are contagious in our kindergartens.

The visit also made it possible to better prepare the activities of the teachers and educators who will be mobile to Piteå in job shadowing activities in the month of April 2024.

Job shadowing is a particular type of training in which a person follows and closely observes another person while doing their job.

The activity took place as part of the RIEPPS project | Research and innovation of educational practices in child services.

Conference in Pamplona, Spain

Creena | Centro de Recursos de Educación para la Equidad Educativa en Navarra, a Spanish organization specialized in educational support, and the City of Bologna have collaborated online for an educational exchange dedicated to:

• experimental models for inclusion;
• reception models and accommodation in educational services 0-6;
• staff training and resource assessment.

The head of 0-6 Services was invited by Creena to participate in a conference dedicated to these issues, focusing the intervention in a specialized and extraordinary way on the methods of inclusion of the Bolognese educational community.

Seminar in Vic, Spain

An educator, a teacher and two pedagogists from the City of Bologna participated in an intensive seminar at the Universitat de Vic with the aim of co-designing 5 innovative training courses aimed at educational and school service personnel 0-6 within a European perspective.

The training courses are aimed at targeted educational plans, the promotion of leadership and positive interactions between adults with boys and girls, the opportunity to experiment with different ways of connecting with boys and girls, their language and their interests.

Visit to Norrköping, Sweden

As part of the research and experimentation of new educational practices, of the analysis of children's languages, the city of Norrköping hosted the pedagogists of the City of Bologna on a preparatory visit to explore various topics:

• outdoor education;
• environmental sustainability practices within educational services;
• inclusion and interculture.

In this framework of exchange and enrichment, activities have been organized in view of the mobility of the staff of the educational services of municipal schools and kindergartens scheduled for the month of April 2024.

The activity took place as part of the RIEPPS project | Research and innovation of educational practices in child services.

Meeting in Vänersborg, Sweden

The City of Bologna, as an associate partner of the SERN | Sweden Emilia Romagna Network consortium, participates in the INTEC project, which aims to develop an innovative in-service training model for nursery and kindergarten staff.

We had the precious opportunity to attend the first coordination meeting, during which the representatives of the consortium reflected together:

• on the curriculum for the training of the ECEC staff (teachers and pedagogical coordinators of kindergartens);
• on the communication and dissemination methods of the project;
• on the opportunity to ensure transnational continuing training for educational staff.

Course in Tenerife, Spain

The openness to the European dimension as a training tool based on action-research determines the need to combine linguistic strengthening aimed at facilitating communication with the contexts with which collaborations start.

The intensive course aimed to strengthen the English language in the professional field, and placed emphasis on specific language in the educational field and on the development of reading, writing and speaking skills in the language.
The course, aimed mainly at pedagogical coordination and system figures who coordinate international experiences, has made it possible to strengthen language skills in managing networks with international partners and to act as a link with the working group that will participate in the mobility.

The activity took place as part of the RIEPPS project | Research and innovation of educational practices in child services.