Preschools, families in vulnerable situations, and services: what kind of support in the context of digital transformation?

Abstract

In this article, we present the first phase of a participatory action-research-training project, funded through PNRR funds, as part of the INEST project. This represents a new and specific research action developed within the national P.I.P.P.I. program. The aim of the research is to improve children's well-being at school and the social inclusion of families, achieving a comprehensive and integrated support system, between schools and socio-health services, also through enhancing teachers’ digital competence.

The article begins with an overview of the challenges posed by the post-digital era to society, highlighting the importance of digital competence and the digital transformation process in schools. It continues with a focus on the pedagogical-social role of technologies in schools and, in the third paragraph, it outlines the potential of technologies from the perspective of “community technologies” as a lever to strengthen social and human capital and to reconceptualize the work of prevention and social intervention, from this viewpoint. The fourth paragraph describes the participatory action-research-training process, from the initial phase to the current state, concluding with the planned actions.