The Emergence of Nursery Schools in Bologna (1969–1975)

This chapter analyses the underlying reasons for and, broadly speaking, the changes leading to the emergence of day nurseries in Bologna in 1969, thanks in particular to the role played by Adriana Lodi, Bologna’s Health Commissioner at the time. The first part highlights several pilot projects that were already ongoing in Italy, such as the Olivetti daycare services in Ivrea and the Montessori Birth Center in Rome. The latter was founded in 1949 by one of Maria Montessori’s former pupils, Adele Costa Gnocchi (1883–1967). These projects may be considered starting points and models for the development of the new approach, centred on the educational value of the new services for children. It is shown how, in the case of Bologna, there was a need to rethink the role of the educator, no longer seen solely as a childcare worker. The second part specifically focuses on the two-years experiment with the new day nursery model, highlighting the contribution on the theoretical level by the neuropsychiatric Nino (Eustachio) Loperfido (1932–2008), one of the protagonists of the movement for the promotion of daycare services.