The international application of standard-based measures to assess ECEC quality raises crucial questions concerning the cultural complexities and the problematic validity of instruments migrating out of their cultural cradle; nevertheless the topic has received only marginal attention in the literature. This paper, which aims to address this gap, presents the research design and first findings from the Italian data collected within the European study CARE and a national extension, developing a critical-cultural approach to the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS)--a standard-based instrument to evaluate teacher-child interactions in U.S. classrooms. ECEC experts and teachers have been involved in focused discussions of CLASS recognizing elements of continuity, differences and disagreements and key-features of the teacher-child relationship not captured by the tool. Results offer interesting insights into a methodological reflection on the international use of standardized evaluation tools and into a theoretical reflection on "universal vs. culture-related" views on education and quality.