Conference Program

This contribution is situated within the broader debate on “educational poverty”, acknowledging the ambivalent nature of this concept. On the one hand, the notion of educational poverty aims to compensate for inequalities experienced by children growing up in disadvantaged contexts (Bersanti, 2023; Milani, 2020). On the other hand, it risks reinforcing a deficit-based perspective, positioning individuals and families as “needy” and potentially obscuring broader social responsibilities (Arena, 2025; Finetti, 2023).

The contribution focuses on selected final results of the “Il Ponte” (The Bridge) Project, coordinated by Associazione La Strada – Der Weg and funded by the social enterprise Con i Bambini. The project targeted preschool children attending ten kindergartens in South Tyrol. It was implemented in collaboration with several third-sector organizations, including Arciragazzi Bolzano, Cooperativa sociale EOS, Fondazione Forum Prävention, and Fondazione Südtiroler Kinderdorf ONLUS.

The main objective of the project was to foster the creation of an inclusive educational environment capable of strengthening connections between kindergartens, families, and local services. This goal was pursued through the introduction of a dedicated educator figure within kindergartens. This professional role was designed to act as a “bridge” between different educational actors, supporting children’s development, facilitating communication with families, and promoting access to community resources. Educators carried out activities on three levels: within the kindergarten with children and teachers; in fostering cooperation between kindergartens and families; and in promoting collaboration between kindergartens and local services and organizations.

The evaluation of the project was conducted by the Libera Università di Bolzano-Bozen using a participatory approach aimed at giving voice to professionals and families involved in the project. The research design adopted followed a convergent mixed-methods approach (Trinchero & Robasto, 2019), in which qualitative and quantitative data were collected with interviews and questionnaires in parallel and subsequently integrated into a comprehensive interpretative framework with the goals of describing the initial context, documenting implemented actions, and assessing perceived outcomes.

Parallel to the evaluation process, the partner organizations—coordinated by Fondazione Forum Prävention—initiated a participatory process to define the professional profile, responsibilities, and functions of the educator within the kindergarten. This process aims to clarify the educator’s role in relation to kindergartens, families, and territorial services with the key objective to promote institutional recognition at the provincial level and move beyond project-based funding towards sustainable policy frameworks.

The presentation will illustrate selected project activities, key outcomes emerging from the evaluation, and the current state of work on formalizing the educator’s role.