Growing education for sustainability: a new professionalism.

The first years of every human being’s life are the most favourable ones for developing the attitudes and values that form the basis of personality. But in which ways is it possible to reach the goal of a sustainable education in early childhood? The Regione Emilia Romagna with the University of Bologna has designed and organized a Master´s programme (advanced level) to build collaboration with formal, informal and non-formal educational services and systems and in order to involve professionals in thinking about what kind of skills educators need in order to provide early education for sustainability. This paper has two main goals. The first is to show the political importance of viewing children as citizens capable of contributing significantly towards a sustainable society and environment. The second is to the necessity of providing adults (educators, teachers and parents) with the tools needed to understand the interdependence between human beings and the environment. The aims of the Master programme in sustainable education are to rework the traditional early childhood education approach and transform childhood educational settings into places where sustainability is practiced. The Master´s programme creates opportunities for research studies that are participatory and action-centred and supports practitioners in developing the type of interdisciplinary collaboration needed to promote change.