The educational provision for young children in Italy today displays quite unique features; in some regions it attains some of the highest child access percentages in the world, is attended by families from all social classes and many services are denoted by qualitative excellence. It thus provides an interesting observatory for discussing the actual and potential significance of services for young children in a complex society for parents, their children and society as a whole. In this article, the author gives some information about the organization of education and care services for young children in Italy and the way they are regulated. She then describes the social context in which they are situated and the nature of the demand for early educational and care provision by families. Finally, she illustrates some points that situate the educational policy followed in the Italian experiences of excellence. (Contains 1 note.)