In this contribution it is proposed a critical framework, based on Basil Bernstein’s theory, for two aims: a) criticising some tendencies in the Indicator Frameworks for evaluating the quality of Early Childhood Education and Care services (ECEC), which rely mainly on measures of the structural and processual characteristics of the educational settings. However, the processual dimensions are reduced to their individual components, overlooking the complex and contingent interactions that create opportunities for learning; b) proposing a critical framework, based on Basil Bernstein’s theory to analyse the different child-centred approaches to ECEC.
