Social capital and familiness in primary childcare services: A study of families with children 0–3 years old in Italy

In the contemporary social context, characterized - as noted - by low birth rates and a complex care and work balance, European policies promote strategies to increase female and maternal employment by focusing on quality and accessible childcare services. So, early childcare schemes become crucial in work and family reconciliation. The challenge for services is therefore to build a positive and generative relationship with families, in other words, to operate according to the logic of personalization and familiness in order to promote family social capital as a resource. In this framework, the chapter will present and discuss results from a survey conducted in 2017 in Italy with families with children between 0 and 3 years enrolled in early childcare services, managed by the non-profit PAN Consortium. The survey conducted on a sample of about 400 families through an online questionnaire allowed to grasp the multidimensional connection between personalized services and family social capital.