My Baby 0-3 Nursery
My Baby 0–3 Nursery was established in 2012 as a bilingual nursery linked to Medacta International SA and welcomes children aged from 3 months to 3 years. Initially created as a company nursery, it very quickly opened up to the wider community, welcoming not only the children of company employees but also those from local families. Open from Monday to Friday, 7:30 am to 6:30 pm, My Baby 0–3 offers the possibility to choose the type of attendance that best suits different family needs.
The nursery is among the facilities that benefit from cantonal subsidies and complies with the guidelines of UFag (Office for the Support of Organisations and Activities for Families and Youth), which supervises and ensures compliance with regulations. It is also a member of ATAN (Association of Early Childhood Care Facilities).
My Baby 0–3 is authorised and monitored by the DSS (Department of Health and Social Affairs) for matters relating to hygiene. Fourchette Verte regularly regulates and checks that the nutritional standards adopted in Ticino are respected. The balance of meals is also supervised by specialised staff within the nursery.
My Baby 0–3 can accommodate a maximum of 65 children aged 0–3 years: 8 infants from 3 to 12 months; 25 toddlers aged 12 to 24 months divided into two groups of 15 and 10 children; and 32 older children aged 2 years and above, divided into two groups of 16 children. In Spring, children who fall under the Harmos agreement are also admitted.
Quality Perks. At My Baby 0–3, the expression Quality Perks refers to those practices that make the nursery experience valuable not only for the welcomed children, but also for their families. These include:
The possibility to breastfeed at the nursery
Mothers who wish to do so can breastfeed their child during their time at the nursery, making use of a dedicated space. This opportunity is particularly convenient for mothers employed by the Medacta for Life Foundation and Medacta International SA, thanks to the company’s proximity to the school premises, as well as for employees of all businesses and organisations located nearby.
Personal Notebook
For each child, the educators prepare a personal notebook, regularly updated with meaningful pictures designed to capture and preserve the many experiences lived at the nursery: discoveries, achievements, and developmental milestones. The notebook is shared and read at home with the family, giving the child the opportunity to express, in their own way, a narrative of the images, recalling the emotions they arouse.
Documentation is a daily commitment for the educators—a form of storytelling aimed at telling each child’s journey at My Baby 0–3 Nursery.
Regular sharing with families and School–family communication
Ongoing communication between the nursery and families remains essential for us, as it is a key element in maintaining effective educational practice within the community:
- Noticeboard documentation: images of the main activities carried out by the children are displayed on the section noticeboards, serving as a means of communication between the nursery and families.
- Digital photos are shared with families twice a year; families have the opportunity to download visuals featuring their child, allowing them to create a photo album of the most meaningful moments experienced at the nursery.
- A termly newsletter from My School Ticino
- A calendar of events and closures, shared at the beginning of the year and updated if necessary
- Mastercom messaging, providing all communications between the school office and families
The Campus
The nursery is located in a peaceful area of Castel San Pietro, next to woodland and surrounded by vineyards and wooded areas. In addition to a calm outdoor garden, the nursery also has access to a fenced woodland area equipped with balance trails, tables and benches, climbing slopes, and is connected to a nearby stream. A small vegetable garden is tended by children of all ages who attend the campus each day, from 0 to 10 years old.
The nursery welcomes children into spacious, bright environments immersed in nature. The furnishings are mainly made from natural materials, and everyday objects are designed for small hands and kept within easy reach to encourage independence. The indoor spaces are divided into five areas reflecting the different age groups.
Outdoor Education: learning in nature
Outdoor Education is an integral part of daily life. Every day, children spend time outdoors, including trips into the woods and walks in the local area. On a regular basis, lunches are organised in the woods, offering a shared moment of togetherness immersed in nature.
Educational project
The pedagogical project aims to:
- Value each child’s identity
- Promote skills in line with individual characteristics
- Encourage socialisation and a sense of belonging
- Actively involve families, creating continuity between school and everyday life
- Support overall development by fostering emotional, cognitive, motor, social and language growth
- Encourage independence and the development of self-esteem, respecting individual rhythms
Role of the educator: observes in order to respond to each child’s needs in the way most appropriate to their psychomotor development.
Role of the environment: the environment acts as a teacher; it communicates and educates, offering both individual and shared spaces, generating experiences and enhancing them. Keeping spaces tidy is a sign of respect for the entire community that lives within them.
The educational approach of My Baby 0–3 is based on three pillars: the Montessori Method; the Reggio Emilia approach and the “hundred languages of the child”; and Outdoor Education.
All activities take place in a bilingual Italian/English environment through immersion, encouraging natural exposure to both languages. Neuroscience confirms that early multilingual learning supports cognitive development, mental flexibility and attention skills.
How does this translate into daily practice?
In our approach, it is the responsibility of the school—and the adults who work within it—to foster the child’s natural development, accompanying them on their growth journey with respect, care and expertise. This is achieved through targeted pedagogical actions:
- A prepared learning environment: organised in a welcoming and engaging way, where children can move freely, explore, build relationships and experience meaningful social interactions.
- Free access to developmental materials: carefully selected to encourage hands-on learning. Materials are always available and can be used independently, either individually or in small groups, according to each child’s interests and pace.
- A constant adult guide: a trained, attentive and non-judgemental educator who observes, encourages and supports each child’s individual path, promoting positive relationships and respect for shared rules.
- Observation as an educational tool: through a trained eye that recognises the child’s real needs, intervening only to remove obstacles to their “self-construction”.
- Relationships among children aged 0–3 develop and strengthen over time, beginning with the fulfilment of primary needs and the opportunity to find in the environment the tools to build self-esteem. A child who is aware of their own abilities can become a source of enrichment both for themselves and for others within the group.
A typical day
A typical day at nursery My Baby 0-3 is organised as follows:
7:30–9:00 a.m.: arrival
9:00–9:30 a.m.: Circle Time
9:30–10:00 a.m.: Snack Time
10:00–11:30 a.m.: Learning activities
11:30–12:30 p.m.: lunch
12:30–1:00 p.m.: drop-off / pick-up window
1:00–3:30 p.m.: rest time
3:30–4:00 p.m.: drop-off / pick-up window
4:00–4:30 p.m.: Circle Time
4:00–4:30 p.m.: Snack Time
4:30–6:30 p.m.: Learning activities
by 6:30 p.m.: latest pick-up time
My Baby 0-3 throughout the year
Throughout the school year, My Baby 0-3 Nursery offers a range of activities, events and cross-curricular projects. Some are well-established, while others are experimental and continuously evolving. These are valuable opportunities for sharing experiences with families and the wider community.
Below are some of the initiatives that characterise our educational year:
Start-of-Year Meeting
A meeting between educators and families dedicated to presenting the educational and pedagogical project. It is an opportunity to share aims and organisational details, as well as to foster mutual understanding and lay the foundations for a constructive partnership between school and family.
Individual Parent–Educator Meetings
Throughout the school year, parents and educators meet to discuss the child’s development, based on careful observations and with a co-constructive approach. This enriches each child’s journey through the perspectives of different caregivers who observe and experience different moments of the child’s daily life.
Based on daily observation of each individual child, it is possible to identify areas of interest that guide planning and documentation. Educators are trained to recognise the nuances in children’s communication: in the 0–3 age group, non-verbal messages are often more significant than verbal ones; therefore, they must be carefully observed, interpreted and documented.
These meetings therefore become an opportunity to jointly define developmental goals and review expectations. Educators and parents work as a team for the child’s wellbeing.
A Special Day
With the arrival of spring, in the “Toddler” and “Spring” groups, parents who wish to participate are invited to spend a morning at nursery. On a rotating basis, a parent joins the group and is asked to lead a simple activity with the children, including their own child’s peers. The activity is previously agreed with the educational team, who ensure that the children are prepared for this special shared experience.
Birthdays and Developmental Milestones
On a child’s birthday, and when they reach important developmental milestones such as toilet training or confident walking, a simple in-group celebration is organised. During this moment, the child shares their achievement through shared rituals that all children will eventually experience.
Christmas and End-of-Year Celebrations
On these occasions, all families are invited to take part in informal gatherings aimed at socialising and experiencing the nursery environment together with their children.
Family Celebration Breakfasts
On the occasion of Grandparents’, Father’ and Mother’s Day, families are welcomed in the morning with a special breakfast, set up in the outdoor spaces of the nursery. Families can spend time reading books dedicated to the occasion and chatting with other parents and educators.
Internal Transitions and Continuity Between My Baby 0-3 Nursery and My Child 3-6 Preschool
Towards the end of the school year, children are gradually introduced to the next section they will join after the summer break, ensuring a smooth and harmonious transition. In the same way, during the second part of the year, exchange visits are organised with My Child 3-6 Preschool for the older children who have chosen to continue their journey there.
Shared Moments Between Groups and Educational Continuity
The nursery sections at My Baby 0-3 welcome children of the similar ages to encourage a wide variety of experiences, different opportunities for exchange and interaction with other groups are created, allowing children to engage in diverse and enriching relationships. These include woodland outings, activities in My Town, English Morning sessions, walks, and shared afternoon moments with children from different groups. Similarly, some experiences are organised together with children attending My Child 3-6 and My Kid 6-10. These are valuable opportunities for younger children to experience care, responsibility, and the positive example set by older children.
Usborne Book Fair / Library
Once a year, our nursery hosts Usborne Publishing, allowing families to choose English-language books together with their children, guided by experts and our teachers. A portion of the proceeds is converted into books donated to the nursery, enriching our internal library.
Shared Celebrations
Whenever opportunities arise, children take part in seasonal and traditional events such as Christmas, Halloween, Carnival and Easter, experienced through games, creative activities and treasure hunts.
Team
Highly qualified educational staff in regular training, with native Italian and English speakers full time!
