One of COFACE Families Europe’s member organisations, Centro per la Salute delle Bambine e dei Bambini (CSB Onlus), has launched a new column entitled Words that Nourish and inagurated a new facility for early childhood support.
The initiative aims to create a space for reflection on the terms and themes that shape daily work with children and families – words that often carry deeper meanings than we might first imagine.
As CSB Onlus explains in its introductory post:
“Today we talk about precaution. A concept that can generate some misunderstandings, because it’s not about anticipating stages or forcing development. For us, it means early learning: everything that happens in the very first years of life, when the brain is more sensitive and open to environmental influences. At this stage every shared experience, from contact to reading, from playing to daily dialogue, becomes learning. The Nurturing Care Framework recognises it as a fundamental pillar, alongside health, nutrition, protection and responsive parenting. In the next appointments we’ll explore other keywords together, to build a common vocabulary made of care, relationship and awareness.”
The column reflects CSB Onlus’ long-standing commitment to promoting early childhood development through shared experiences that nurture both children and their caregivers.
This vision is also at the heart of one of CSB’s flagship initiatives – Villaggio per Crescere – which has recently celebrated a new milestone. Local authorities and community members gathered earlier this year to inaugurate the new home of Villaggio per Crescere in Trieste’s San Giacomo district. The move marks a new chapter in the project’s mission to offer welcoming, inclusive spaces for families with children aged 0 to 6.
The new facility provides a barrier-free environment where families can take part in free activities designed to encourage creativity, learning, and social connection. As one of the coordinators said during the opening ceremony, “This is more than just a play space – it’s a community. Here, parents and caregivers can find support, and children can engage in meaningful activities that promote early development.”
Born in Trieste in 2018, Villaggio per Crescere has since expanded to 15 cities across Italy, with 19 active centres supported by CSB Onlus and other partners including Con I Bambini and various local authorities. The initiative is grounded in research showing that the first 1,000 days of life are crucial for healthy development and that small, shared experiences – reading together, gardening, making music, or drawing – have lasting effects on children’s wellbeing.
In Trieste, a second Villaggio operates in Valmaura, hosted by the L’Acquarello nursery and run in partnership with the Municipality of Trieste. Together, these centres provide families with opportunities to learn, play, and grow in supportive community environments.
The Words that Nourish column and the expansion of Villaggio per Crescere both embody CSB Onlus’ holistic approach to nurturing care – one that values language, relationships, and shared experiences as building blocks of early development. By giving meaning to words and creating spaces where families can connect, CSB continues to place care and awareness at the centre of childhood wellbeing.
Read about the opening of the Villaggio per Crescere here.
