Transitions in ECEC services: the experience of children from migrant families

ABSTRACT

The study explored the experience of young children from migrant families during their first entry into an early childhood education and care (ECEC) service and analysed how the children cope with the new context, which is socially, culturally and linguistically different from their home. The activities and social behaviour of two groups of children, aged from 18 to 36 months and 36–48 months, respectively, were filmed during everyday life in the ECEC service. Videos were integrated with ethnographic notes produced by teachers. The analysis showed the difficulties children from migrant families experienced during the transition from home to the ECEC service, as well as the competences they used to face the new experience. The analysis also highlighted how their experience in the service developed over the year and which practices supported their wellbeing, participation in activities and interactions with peers and adults. The findings provide useful suggestions for improving practices in ECEC contexts characterized by super-diversity.

KEYWORDS:

• Diversity
• children from migrant families
• transitions
• action research
• practice improvement

Acknowledgements

We are heartily grateful to the pedagogical coordinators, Maria Laura Contini and Donatella Giovannini, and the teachers of the municipal ECEC services in Pistoia for their precious collaboration and support in the study. We would wish to express our warmest thanks to the children and parents who made the study possible. We also thank Tullia Musatti and Isabella Di Giandomenico for their fruitful comments on our findings.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Mariacristina Picchio http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9540-2464

Notes

1 In Pistoia both nido and scuola dell’infanzia practitioners are called teachers.

Additional information

Funding

This study was conducted with the financial support of the Department of Education of the City of Pistoia.