The EDUCAS Consortium recently released the summary of five focus groups organized in Italy. Two focus groups were made up of parents and three included professionals. These focus groups will help the Consortium better understand ideas about early childhood education and care (ECEC) spaces. The focus groups were carried out in two centers as part of the EDUCAS project.

Perceptions of Space in ECEC Centers

In many cases, it was clear that the parents' perception of space was consistent with what the teachers viewed as an ideal environment for children.

Five ideals emerged as important from across the focus groups:

1) Space that favors learning activities, play activates and emotional experiences.

2) Space that favors relations.

3) Space that is designed and well-conceived.

4) Space that connects outside and inside.

5) Space that has some physical characteristics.

Still, in some cases, perceptions were different between parents and professionals. This underlines the need for professionals to listen and take into account the viewpoints of families.

Learn more about the focus groups conducted in Italy, Belgium and Lithuania here. Read the full summary from the focus groups here.

Photo Credit: ©Caroline Boudry