Being part, being involved: the adult's role and child participation in an early childhood learning context

This paper begins with some general comments regarding the concept of participation in educative processes as it has developed in the preceding decades from a rights-based perspective, following the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. In order to discuss the notion of participation, the authors introduce a project developed in an infant-toddler centre in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Starting from this project, particularly focusing on the role of adults in engaging with children, the discussion aims to offer new insights into participation of young children from a care and educative point of view. Based on this experience, it was found that adults' ‘power’ has a positive impact on children's ideas and should be positioned as an important resource for children's development rather than an obstacle to their participation