Overview
- Lidia Camilla Vallarolo, a 66-year-old retired primary teacher from Vasto, began tutoring the three siblings on January 13 inside the local group home.
- She said the plan is four sessions per week, starting with phonemic exercises and play to rebuild trust before formal reading, writing and arithmetic.
- The first class used wooden letters to check name writing, was conducted in Italian, and included a brief, reassuring presence by their mother, Catherine Birmingham.
- Social services and guardian Maria Luisa Palladino turned to a retiree after active teachers declined involvement because of the case’s high visibility.
- The children were removed by the L’Aquila juvenile court on November 20 over limited schooling under an unschooling approach, and psychological evaluations are scheduled to start on January 23.