Chile's Ministry of Education is currently immersed in a process of reforming public education in which early-childhood (pre-school) education plays an extremely important role. Starting with political-technical installation of a new institution—the Under-Secretariat of Pre-School Education—a series of structural modifications are being defined that will make it possible to strengthen and place importance on this sector that represents the first educational level. In this process, special attention is being paid to the quality axis so that the new system can be supported within the framework of the National Quality Assurance System.

EUROsociAL, a cooperation programme of the European Union, is supporting this process and has organised two learning and experience exchange visits for this purpose to Europe related to education services from birth to the age of six. The first took place between 12th and 16th October to Tuscany and Reggio Emilia in Italy, and the second between 26th and 30th October to Paris and Barcelona.

The objective of the visits to Italy was to learn in depth about the successful experiences developed within the framework of the Tuscan Approach and the Reggio Emilia Approach. In particular, the participants learned about the work being done by the Istituto degli Innocenti in Florencia; the Educational Centres of de Livorno, Pistoia and San Miniato (Tuscany); and the Loris Malaguzzi- Reggio Children Centre in Reggio Emilia. In the case of France, in addition to learning in depth about the basis of the Pikler methodology, attention was centred on learning about the work of the Pikler-Lóczy Association in terms of collecting inputs that will contribute to a new vision of the organisation of services for childhood. In Barcelona, they learned about the innovative pedagogical projects being pursued by the Rosa Sensat Teachers' Association.

In all the visits, they made note of elements that could inspire the work of reorganising childhood services in Chile: the organisation of the services in the territory; initial training; and, in service of the teachers, the innovative pedagogical projects that anticipate, among other things, active participation by the families and environments that enable development of the children's capacities; as well as elements that can define the quality of the services.

The two delegations were made up of representatives of the Subsecretariat of the Integra Foundation, the National Association of Kindergartens, the Crece Contigo Programme, and the Educational Quality Agency.