The contribution of complexity epistemology to a critical analysis of the “child at the center” pedagogical imperative

The XX-century recognition of children’s rights has changed their role from the socio-cultural margins to a more central position. The concept of “child at the center” has become increasingly present in pedagogical discourses and policies, also as a key principle of the European Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care (European Commission, 2014). This study epistemologically explores the pedagogical foundation of the “child-centered” approach in order to preserve its meaning. Who is the child placed at the center? What does their centrality mean in nursery schools? Morin’s epistemology of complexity provides some key tools to redefine this centrality, addressing the tension between identity, multiplicity, diversity, and unity. At the center there is not the idealized but the real child, with their unique complexity, shaped by diverse needs and interests forming their identity. In nursery schools, the real child encounters other real children, each with their own diverse needs and interests. Educational design becomes a key tool to help every child perceive themselves and others as complex individuals with multiple needs. This reciprocal recognition fosters new ideas of collectivity and multiple citizenship (Ceruti, 2018) to be promoted both at a local level and through global policies.