The Spring Section

The Pillars of Educational Action

An educational experience begins, develops, and is fulfilled within and through a web of meaningful relationships that shape the life environment of the individual. In this relational network, adults, aware of their identity and of the value of the experience they are living, offer themselves to children as “attentive and discreet guides” along their path of growth. Children, drawing on the trust first gained within the family, open themselves “to the adventure of knowledge” of themselves and of the world, confident that they can rely on the companionship of mature adults. From this perspective, the School works alongside parents and, by sharing their primary and original responsibility, develops its educational proposal in fidelity to its own mission and to the dignity of the child as a person.

Educational Proposal of the Spring Section

The Spring Section is made up of a maximum of 10 children between the ages of two and three, one teacher, a pedagogical coordinator responsible for the service, an educational-didactic coordinator, and an educational assistant.

The Spring Section represents an important part of the child’s growth journey. Here, the child can explore autonomy and self-assertion while still feeling secure that, whatever happens during their explorations, a reference figure will always be there to welcome and support them.

Purpose of the Service

The first years of life are an extraordinary developmental stage, enriched by relationships with the environment, peers, and adults.
Between the ages of two and three, children seek autonomy and discovery; they learn and acquire new skills and behaviors that enable them to move and interact with their surroundings more independently.

This is the “I’ll do it myself” stage, where the child wants to experiment, discover, and understand on their own. To do so confidently, they must be accompanied and supported by adults in a calm environment that fully respects their pace and needs.

In the Spring Section, the child is supported and guided in discovering their abilities through interaction with both the environment and the group. Daily routines are designed to create a rich and stimulating environment that offers countless opportunities for discovering the world, building relationships, and gradually gaining autonomy.

Through targeted activities and dedicated care spaces, children are encouraged to respond to what happens around and within them, to open up to others, and to recognize different languages, ways of being, and needs.

From birth, children experience sensations and emotions that shape all of their behaviors and daily experiences. Emotions are a key part of life at every age, though often lived with little awareness. The focus, therefore, is on recognizing, understanding, and integrating emotions, valuing them as natural and important expressions of self.

By acquiring an emotional vocabulary, children can also develop emotional intelligence—the ability to recognize and constructively manage their own emotions and those of others.

The quality of bodily experiences and relationships, along with the emotions they generate and the ability to name and make sense of them, determines the child’s self-perception and sense of being.

In our approach, we place the child’s timing at the center—their pace of autonomy, discovery, and emotional growth. The Spring Section, as an intentionally designed educational environment (in timing, relationships, and spaces), seeks to “give time” to the child, enabling them to experiment with a wide range of sensations and emotions.

Thus, the educational relationship must be continuously attuned to the child’s moment of life and grounded in observation. Only through observation can we understand which functions are already embryonically present in the child’s developmental process and can be nurtured through daily interactions.

The teacher’s daily work, therefore, must be based on ongoing observation of the child’s internal and external movements in order to act in harmony and resonance.

Educational and Learning Objectives

Given the general purposes of the service, the fundamental educational goal is to “support and foster each child’s growth journey,” making them active and engaged participants in every educational experience, starting from their natural curiosity and desire to explore.

The educational plan is designed to encourage continuous interaction with peers, educators, and the environment, supporting a gradual knowledge of self and of the reality around them.

As Maria Montessori wrote:

“We witness a new conception of the child, understood as the father of the man; from this perspective, it is the adult who must learn from the child values such as enthusiasm and interest in knowledge.”

From this point of view, the educator plays a crucial role as the “educational director,” observing the child, attending to their pace, needs, and relationships, and creating stimulating yet calming spaces that foster the harmonious development of personality, intelligence, emotional life, socialization, and motor skills.

The educator becomes a “secure base” and point of reference for their group of children, shaping each day with a flexible plan open to changes dictated by the children’s evolving needs and achievements.

Through this reference figure, children first seek support and reassurance, then gradually build autonomy, self-confidence, and awareness of their abilities, strengthening their cognitive, emotional, social, and communicative development.

For educational objectives to be achieved, the educator must also serve as a “trusted reference point” for families, since only shared action between the school and the family can bring about real change and growth while respecting each child’s individuality.

Finally, children need opportunities to experience different forms of socialization, to feel part of a community broader than their peers. For this reason, joint activities will be organized with other groups and services within the Early Childhood Center of Barasso.

Psychological Objectives

• Support harmonious psychophysical and emotional development, helping children to give voice to both positive and negative emotions, fears, and needs.

• Ensure a gradual separation process for children and families, supporting trust and cooperation in the shared educational journey.

Social Objectives

• Foster the sense of both “we” and “I” through individual and group experiences.

• Encourage expression of emotions by verbalizing personal and others’ feelings, and help children manage frustration by supporting them in handling requests and waiting times.

• Enable the emergence of deep relationships with peers and adults, supporting each child’s personal growth.

• Create, together with the group, rules for positive coexistence, encouraging conscious acceptance through direct experience.

Pedagogical Objectives

• Promote and stimulate creativity and curiosity through exploration, selection, and use of structured and unstructured educational materials, as well as purposefully designed spaces.

• Support the acquisition of daily life skills: toilet training, eating with cutlery, setting and clearing the table…

• Foster and strengthen communication skills.

Integration of the Spring Section within the Early Childhood Center

The Spring Section serves as a bridge between the nursery and the preschool.

The structure of our Early Childhood Center, covering ages 0–6, makes it possible to create learning and experience opportunities where children, though having their own reference figure, can interact with the entire teaching and non-teaching staff, making the growth journey more natural, spontaneous, and respectful of individual subjectivity.

We therefore believe that educational planning and goals must be designed across all three areas, ensuring a unified vision and coherence of intent.

Attention to the child, to their emotional life, and to respecting their pace will thus become a common approach across all services, supporting smoother transitions for children and shared understanding among teachers and educators.

To ensure continuity, the existing “bridge project” will be strengthened, allowing older nursery children to become familiar with the Spring Section, and Spring Section children to get to know the preschool sections and their teachers.

This process will be scheduled annually, tailored to the needs, age, and abilities of the children, so that it becomes an effective tool for both security and discovery.

For children already attending our nursery, transitions will follow their developmental stage and will begin from the age of two, with decisions made jointly with educators and families.

For new enrollees, Ministry regulations will be followed, with an agreed enrollment window that harmonizes family needs with those of the class group.

Continuity between the nursery and Spring Section, and especially from the Spring Section to the preschool, will be carefully managed to preserve routines and daily rhythms. Activities will promote mutual familiarity among children and the entire educational staff.

Continuity with preschool will take place in the second half of the year through small group activities jointly planned and led by teachers from both sections.