Rome, February 19 – The Montessori Children’s Park, a renowned institution for early childhood education on Via della Bufalotta in Rome, has unexpectedly closed its doors mid-school year. The decision, communicated to families on February 16th via email, announced the immediate cessation of activities from Monday, February 20th, citing the “revocation of authorizations” by the Municipality.
Sudden Closure Affects 115 Children and Families
This sudden closure impacts 115 children, ranging from 6 months to 6 years old, who are now left without their educational and care facility. The school, established in 1984, was considered an excellence in early childhood education in the area.
Timeline of Events Leading to the Closure
The situation began to deteriorate months ago. In June 2025, an anonymous complaint, allegedly from a “parent of an attending child and an employee of the facility,” raised concerns regarding building regulations, hygienic-sanitary standards, equipment safety, and surveillance functions. Despite the school having obtained regional accreditation renewal for early childhood services in October 2023 and an agreement for the nursery for the 2025/2026 school year in October 2025 (thus presumably deemed suitable as a structure), authorities initiated a series of intensive inspections.
The school committed to making the necessary adjustments, undertaking renovation work and reorganizing spaces and activities. It was agreed with the ASL (Local Health Authority) and the Municipality to postpone major interventions until the end of the school year, when students and staff would not be present.
However, at the beginning of January, despite the upgrades made during the Christmas break, an ASL ordinance annulled previous authorizations. Subsequently, in early February, a managerial determination from the offices of Municipality III ordered the revocation of operating authorizations for the private and affiliated nursery, and families were summoned for the relocation of their children.
Parents and Staff Express Disbelief and Concern
Parents, ready to refute the alleged severity of the environmental conditions and deeply concerned for their children’s future and the interruption of their educational and emotional development, demanded clarity. They noted a disproportion between the measures taken and the actual state of affairs, stating, “Looking at other schools, we don’t find significant structural differences; and looking at the documentation, no situations of imminent danger to the safety and health of the children seem to have been highlighted.”
With documents in hand, the institution decided to appeal to the TAR (Regional Administrative Court), with a hearing scheduled for February 24th. However, a week before the hearing, it was revealed that the appeal request had been withdrawn, and the school would definitively close four days before the scheduled court date. Staff and families received the news with incredulity and dismay, leaving many questions unanswered.
Teachers’ Perspective and Unanswered Questions
“The school’s closure came suddenly,” explained one of the teachers, “after months of little clarity and silence in response to meeting requests from our union, CLAP. If the Management and the company had truly wanted to, the Children’s Park could have been saved.”
This sad and unexpected outcome concludes a convoluted affair where responsibilities are shifted, and decisions arrive without warning, leaving room for many doubts. What is certain is that the closure of a school is always a defeat, even more so when it involves a broad and high-level educational and socialization project. Federica, a mother of two children, commented, “The consequences of all this will not be borne by those truly responsible, but by our children, whom we will have to face on Friday with I don’t know what courage to tell them that school is over.”
The city of Rome is now faced with the challenge of relocating these 115 children into other educational facilities, a task that presents significant logistical and emotional difficulties for all involved.
Source: https://roma.corriere.it/notizie/cronaca/26_febbraio_18/parco-dei-bambini-montessori-a-roma-chiude-a-meta-anno-la-scuola-di-via-della-bufalotta-115-bambini-tra-i-6-mesi-e-i-6-anni-a-casa-4174caae-a429-4cd5-bbe2-dacb8ec43xlk.shtml
