Nursery School
For most children, the Nursery represents the first moment of separation from their family of origin and the first opportunity to enter a social context, interacting continuously with other peers.
The Nursery welcomes children from three months to two years of age in two sections: Polar Bears and Forest Bears. The environments are designed and structured based on age and the level of understanding, maturation, and self-awareness.
In the Nursery, almost everything is linked to the layout of the environment and the interpersonal relationship between the child and all the people surrounding them; the child’s direct and spontaneous action is the starting point for every educational project in a reality divided into structured environments rich in problem-solving situations intentionally offered to the child’s curiosity.
Every moment at the Nursery is exploratory, educational, and instructional: not only the activities created and designed to be educational, but also changing, lunchtime, and naptime contain multiple educational possibilities for growth in autonomy and cognitive development.
Virtual Open Day: Nursery and Spring Section
Take a few minutes, make yourself comfortable, and join us in discovering the Nursery and the Spring Section of the Ada Bolchini dell’Acqua school. An environment where children learn and grow through play, music, sounds, and the exploration of themselves, others, and the world.
Settling-in
For newly enrolled children, there is a progressive settling-in period, usually lasting two weeks, so that the child gradually learns to know the new environment and the educators.
Particular care is given to this delicate phase, which marks the transition from the parent to the educator as a reference figure and the beginning of an educational relationship between child, educator, and parent placed within the intersection of two systems (family – Nursery).
The initial presence of the parental reference figure, a secure base from which the child can start their explorations, allows the little one to get to know the new environment and others, both adults and children, in a situation of emotional reassurance.
Experiences at the nursery
The experiences children have at the Nursery are varied and closely related to the age and degree of maturation of the little ones. For this reason, they take place in small, homogeneous groups.
Children under one year of age need safe spaces for free movement on the floor, with interesting, manageable, and acoustic objects, rotated frequently (treasure baskets, single-theme baskets, tactile panels, various materials). The presence of mirrors, supports for holding on, soft corners, and dens is important.
For children between one and two years of age, the offerings include discovery play, symbolic play, manipulation and dress-up games, movement, and language activities. The experiences and activities offered to nursery children are based on the 5 senses, which are fundamental for their growth and evolution.
To assist working parents, children can arrive at school at 7:30 AM and stay until 6:20 PM. Children can use the after-school service from 4:00 PM to 6:20 PM; during these hours, an educator guides the children through recreational and creative experiences.
Internal kitchen managed by the school's qualified staff.
Enrollment takes place through an initial contact with the school (in person, by phone, or via email); an appointment is then scheduled with the educational coordinator to meet the family, visit the school, and present the educational offerings. If the family decides to proceed with enrollment, the documents to be completed and signed by both parents are provided to formalize the enrollment; at the same time, one of the educators arranges an initial interview with the family to get to know each other and establish the settling-in procedures.
Where experience and education take shape
The history
The “Ada Bolchini dell’Acqua” Institute in Milan is the latest acquisition of the Pio Istituto pei Figli della Provvidenza.
Since 1953, several families and ladies of the Milanese middle class and aristocracy, including Ada Bolchini dell’Acqua, have been committed to supporting mothers and their newborns. In 1956, they opened a Mother’s House to welcome about thirty mothers with children aged 0 to 3.
The environments
The Ada Bolchini Dell’Acqua headquarters is located in the Inganni district of Milan and was built thanks to the contribution of the renowned architect Marco Zanuso and the artist Lucio Fontana: the decorations of the internal chapel and the ceiling are his, as is the famous pink Via Crucis, now preserved at the Diocesan Museum of Milan, and the four cherubs on the sides of the altar.
“All grown-ups were once children. But only a few of them remember it.”
