As of 31 December 2020, 13,542 early childhood services were in operation in the country, almost 300 fewer than the previous year (-2.1%).

The total number of places is 350,670, 49% of which are in public facilities, with a deficit of about 10,600 places (-2.9%).

The ISTAT report Supply of nurseries and supplementary early childhood services. The 2020/2021 school year shows how Early Childhood Education and Care Services, as well as other segments of the education sector, were affected by the impact of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, which resulted in periods of school closures and interruptions in the attendance of many children.

According to the report's data, the decline had a lesser effect on nurseries (-1.4%), the most traditional and primary component of the supply (65.8%). The fall in the early classrooms section was slightly larger (-2.8%). This area represents 19.6% of the total services, and accommodates children from 24 to 36 months of age, generally within pre-schools. Supplementary services for early childhood (playgrounds, child and parent centres and educational services in a home setting), which complete the offer with 14.6% of the available services, showed the greatest reduction (-17.2%).

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