Llar D'infants Cascavell

La Llar d'Infants Cascavell is a public early childhood education center located in the Besòs neighborhood, in the Sant Martí district of Barcelona. It serves children from 4 months to 3 years old. It is under the Department of Education of the Generalitat de Catalunya and is managed by the Consortium of Education of Barcelona. It has a fully educational character and performs an important social function. It has more than thirty years of experience as a team.

Its educational project is based on common and coeducational education, attention to diversity, early detection of special educational needs, and close cooperation with families. Catalan is the vehicular and learning language. The educational action promotes the global development of children in the emotional, physical, social, and cognitive areas. The play proposal is the autonomous activity, which allows them to be active, know their own body and competencies, and recognize and master the space. The methodological principles include respecting children, believing in their abilities, giving them time and trust, enabling freedom of movement and autonomous activity, making pedagogy of daily life, valuing small things, and enhancing the role of the educator as a companion. The spaces, both indoors and outdoors, are welcoming environments with educational intent, and their distribution and organization allow children to develop their abilities. The child's activity is free; the educator indirectly stimulates it through the richness of the environment and the diversity of materials, which are everyday objects and non-specific materials, especially from nature.

Regarding the relationship with families, the center collaborates with them in the education of children and offers channels for participation and communication: the daily relationship when accompanying and picking up children, general pedagogical meetings, age-level meetings, individual interviews, and participation in the management of the center through the School Council. Currently, families organize periodic meetings to discuss their concerns, hold discussions, and propose activities, workshops, and talks. There is a family association that energizes these initiatives.