Since 2010, Il Giardino di Madre Teresa is an intercultural kindergarten located in the heart of the Ballarò/Albergheria district, in the historic center of Palermo, inside the school “Istituto Comprensivo Nuccio”, inside Plesso Verga, at Piazza dell’Origlione. It is a place that welcomes about 50 children, ages varying from 0 to 5, mainly children of migrants, and involves them in social-educational support activities from Monday to Friday, from 08:00 to 18:00.
In response to the needs of migrant families, to provide concrete help to mothers who do not have a supportive parenting network, il Giardino di Madre Teresa is a reassuring space for parents, where children are welcomed with love and followed by specialized educators, respecting the psychophysical needs of children and with a view to a maieutic pedagogy.
Through Il Giardino di Madre Teresa, Kala Onlus satisfies the needs of over 50 migrant and local women with children and serious socio-economic hardships. They want to start a business activity but there’s a strong obstacle in the lack of accommodation facilities for childcare in line with their economic possibilities.
The serene setting of this happy island offers children the opportunity to socialize and play with peers, providing concrete opportunities for growth on the relational, educational and cognitive level of children. Precisely for this reason, children are offered the opportunity to experience learning through play. Il Giardino di Madre Teresa also creates a space for listening and supporting parenthood by creating information and training opportunities for families and fostering the creation of a co-responsible educational community.