<p>This article examines the policy landscape surrounding transitions in early childhood education and care (ECEC) by focusing on the Reform on the Integrated 0–6 System in Italy. As part of the Reform implementation process, which started in 2015 and it is still underway, the responsibility for services attended by children-under-three has been transferred by the Ministry of Welfare to the Ministry of Education at national level, in a policy context where centralised and decentralised governance responsibilities are simultaneously played out across the childcare and preschool sector. The study investigates the implementation of the reform, highlighting both advancements and bottlenecks, by drawing on the analysis of data derived from semi-structured interviews with key policy decision-makers and stakeholders in the Emilia-Romagna Region (<i>n</i> = 12). An inductive process aimed at generating themes and sub-themes from qualitative data through framework analysis was used for generating findings that are both grounded in the participants' experiences and accessible to policy-makers. Findings reveal a growing emphasis on ECEC quality, accessibility and pedagogical continuity, yet progress is hampered by governance-related issues and fragmentation among service providers. Against this background, research findings also point out to the emergence of grassroots "interstitial" initiatives to enhance coordination, networking and continuity among daycare and preschool services in local communities. The need for greater alignment between policy goals and local realities is emphasized, along with strengthened mechanisms for inter-institutional collaboration, to ensure the successful integration of the ECEC system in Italy through a tailored and context-sensitive approach to reform implementation.</p>