North American Reggio Emilia Alliance

Envisioning a world where all children are honored and respected for their potential, capabilities, and humanity.

 

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Frequently Asked Questions

Related to Reggio Emilia Philosophies and Experiences

Background and Resource Questions

Exhibit Questions

Membership and Networking Questions

 

 

Q: What is "the Reggio approach?"

The Reggio Emilia philosophy and approach to early childhood education has developed and continues to evolve as a result of over 40 years of experience within a system of municipal infant-toddler centers and preschools in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Parents, who started the schools in the 1940s, continue to participate to ensure the schools reflect the values of the community. From the beginning, the late Loris Malaguzzi, leader, philosopher and innovator in education, who was then a young teacher, guided and directed the energies of those parents and several teachers. Through many years of work with them, he developed an education based on relationship, which has become widely known and valued. The Reggio Emilia approach is built upon a solid foundation of connected philosophical principles and extensive experience. Educators in Reggio Emilia have been inspired by many early childhood psychologists and philosophers, such as Dewey, Piaget, Vygotsky, Gardner and Bruner.

Please understand that we are not referring to an early childhood method or set curriculum, but rather a deep knowledge in theory and community-constructed values that have been and are continuously being translated into high quality early childhood practices. As a result, educational theory and practice in Reggio Emilia is strongly connected. To learn more about fundamental principles of the Reggio approach, read Lella Gandini's article, "Fundamentals of the Reggio Emilia Approach to Early Childhood Education," published in the November 1993 issue of Young Children or Lella's chapter in Next Steps Toward Teaching the Reggio Way: Accepting the Challenge to Change, edited by Joanne Hendrick.

The Reggio educators' intention in sharing their experience with educators around the world is to encourage others to understand their own values regarding childhood, education and community. Reggio educators hope to promote dialogue among educators, so that they will come to understand their own identity as a school community. Through this process, educators can then ensure that the learning and relationships of children, teachers and parents within their school community reflect their shared values.


 

Q: How can I learn more about the Reggio approach?

 

There are numerous professional development initiatives in North America and in Reggio Emilia for those who are interested in learning more about the experience of educators in Reggio and those in North America inspired by this philosophy. See the home page of the NAREA website for information on "The Hundred Languages of Children" exhibit schedule, study tours to Reggio Emilia as well as NAREA professional development initiatives. For further information, click on the Professional Development section of the NAREA website. There you will find the Conferences and Initiatives page with information on conferences, seminars, workshops and learning tours in Reggio-inspired schools in North America and the General Bibliography page with a comprehensive listing of print and video resources. For a listing of resources published by Reggio Children, go to their web site: www.reggiochildren.it

Those seeking to learn more might find NAREA’s annual summer conference to be of particular interest. Each year, the conference is located in a different community in North America, in order to encounter different regions and different contexts. The conference features the voices and experiences of classroom teachers, administrators, policy-makers, professors, authors and others. Opportunities for small group discussions and networking are maximized, in order for conference participants to build stronger connections with each other in the process of learning.


 

Q: I would like to visit the infant-toddler centers and preschools in Reggio Emilia. Who should I contact?

 

It is possible to visit the municipal infant-toddler centers and preschools of Reggio Emilia only through organized study tours. Reggio Children generally schedules at least one study tour per year for North American educators and information is posted on the home page of the NAREA website once that schedule is determined. Interested North American educators should contact Angela Ferrario, the Liaison in the United States for Study Tours to Reggio Emilia. Angela will send to interested educators detailed information as well as registration materials for each study tour when it becomes available from Reggio Children. Her phone number is 508 473 8001 and her email address is

For educators outside of North America, log onto the Reggio Children website in order to find information about Reggio Children network contacts in your country/area of the world. These Reggio Children network contacts will most likely be able to send you information about upcoming study tours from your particular country/area of the world.


 

Q: Is it possible to become certified as a teacher in the Reggio Emilia approach?

It is our understanding that no such certification exists. However, please see the Reggio Children website for information on internships and Master’s Programs offered in Reggio Emilia.


 

Q: I am a student researching the differences between the Reggio Emilia approach and other approaches to early childhood education. Can you help me?

Although it is not possible for our staff to assist students with their assignments, we hope that you will find useful resource and reference information within the NAREA web site.

Exhibit Questions

 

Q: I understand that there is an exhibit about the Reggio schools touring North America. How can I find the schedule and locations of this exhibit?

Several versions of "The Hundred Languages of Children" exhibit have been touring North America since 1987. This exhibit features documentation of the learning and relationships of children, teachers and parents in the municipal infant-toddler centers and preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy. Educators in North America have found that the presence of "The Hundred Languages of Children" exhibit in their community supports professional development of early childhood educators and serves as a tool for advocacy for early education. The schedule of the North American version of the exhibit can be found on the Home page of the NAREA website.


 

Q: I would be interested in hosting "The Hundred Languages of Children" exhibit in my community. Who should I contact?

Reggio Children and NAREA are currently collaborating in the re-design and organization of a new version of "The Hundred Languages of Children" exhibit in North America. If you are interested in the possibility of hosting the exhibit, the NAREA contact for the exhibit project is

Membership and Networking Questions

 

Q: How can I join NAREA?

There are currently several ways to join NAREA. Using the web site, download the membership form, complete the information and mail it along with a check or credit card information to:

      NAREA
      c/o Inspired Practices in Early Education, Inc.
      2040 Wilson Ridge Court
      Roswell, GA 30075

You may also have a membership form mailed to you by contacting Cheryl Rapaport, NAREA Administrative Coordinator at 770 552 0179. If you are using a credit card for payment, you can join via telephone or fax by contacting Cheryl Rapaport. Office hours for NAREA are Monday through Thursday, 8:00 am to 1:00 pm EST.


 

Q: I would like to network with Reggio-inspired educators in my state. Can you help me?

One of NAREA's goals is to strengthen professional development and communication among Reggio-inspired educators in Canada, Mexico and the United States. NAREA members have access to a Membership Directory in the Members area of the NAREA website. This directory lists members who have consented and their email addresses by country/state/province.

NAREA also has a network of Membership Coordinators who can refer you to Reggio-inspired schools and educators in your area. You can access the NAREA Membership Coordinator list on the Home page of the NAREA web site. Also accessible from the Home page is the Related Links section of the NAREA website. There you will find a growing list of web sites for member schools and organizations throughout North America.

Every spring, NAREA board members, membership coordinators and members throughout North America have organized "Fundamental Principles of the Reggio Emilia Approach" workshops. These workshops present opportunities for networking and dialogue among educators interested in the Reggio approach in a particular state, province or community. Information about the location and dates of these workshops is located on the Home page of the NAREA web site.


 

Q: I would like to visit a "Reggio school" in my area. Can you refer me to one?

Many educators around the world, who share the fundamental values of education and childhood as those in Reggio Emilia, have studied the Reggio experience and, as a result, their educational philosophy and their work with children, teachers and parents have been influenced. In some cases, an entire school has made a commitment to pursue this journey of reflection and evolution. Yet the only "Reggio schools" are located in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Educators in other parts of the world may instead refer to themselves or their schools as "Reggio-inspired." The Reggio educators seek to support early educators around the world in understanding and strengthening the identity of their own school and community, rather than attempting to replicate the experiences of children, teachers and parents in another culture and community.

If you are interested in visiting a school in North America where educators have been studying the Reggio philosophy in some depth, and whose work with children and families have been considerably influenced, refer to the Conferences and Initiatives page of the NAREA website. Listed there are learning tours and visitation days at Reggio-inspired schools throughout North America. Another way to find out about schools in your local area or region is to contact the appropriate NAREA membership coordinator. The NAREA membership coordinator list is accessible from the Home page of the NAREA web site.


 

Q: Where can I purchase books and videos about the Reggio approach?

Information on distributors of resources published by Reggio Children and resources related to the Reggio philosophy can be found in the General Bibliography section and the Related Links section, both in the Professional Development area of the NAREA website.


 

Q: I understand there is a periodical called Innovations in Early Education, which focuses on the Reggio approach. How do I subscribe?

Innovations in Early Education: The International Reggio Exchange is a quarterly periodical, which has been published by the Merrill-Palmer Institute, Wayne State University since 1992. This periodical focuses on the experiences of educators in Reggio Emilia and those in North America, who have been inspired by the Reggio philosophy. Information on the current issue of Innovations as well as recently published issues can be found in the Innovations Periodical section of the NAREA web site. Innovations is a benefit of membership in NAREA. To join NAREA, go to the Membership section of the NAREA website. Select articles from Innovations back issues are posted in the Members area of the NAREA web site. Further information about Innovations can be found on the Wayne State University College of Education website: ted.coe.wayne.edu/reggio.


 

Q: I would like a copy of a back issue of Innovations in Early Education: The International Reggio Exchange. How can I place an order?

Back issue CDs of Volumes 1 through 12 of Innovations in Early Education: The International Reggio Exchange are now available. NAREA members receive a discount on Innovations back issue CDs. The Innovations back issue CD index and order form can be accessed on the Back Issue CDs page of the NAREA website or on the Wayne State University College of Education website: ted.coe.wayne.edu/reggio.


 

Q: I am a member of NAREA, but I haven’t yet received my Innovations periodical. When should I expect it?

Innovations is published four times annually - winter, spring, summer and fall. The winter edition should arrive sometime in March, the spring edition sometime in June, the summer edition sometime in September and the fall edition sometime in December. As this periodical is sent out via bulk mail, there can be significant differences in shipment times to different regions. Please contact the Innovations editor, Judith Allen Kaminsky if you do not receive your issues in the months specified above.


 

Q: Are there universities where the teacher education curriculum has been influenced by the Reggio philosophy?

There is an organization of teacher educators who have been studying the Reggio philosophy for many years and whose university teacher education curriculum has been influenced, as a result. The name of this group is RITE (Reggio Inspired Teacher Educators). For more information, you can contact these RITE members:

California State University, Fresno CA
Kent State University, Kent OH
University of Wyoming, Laramie WY
University of Vermont, Burlington VT
University of Nebraska, Lincoln NE
University of Massachusetts, Amherst MA
Virginia Tech, Blacksburg VA
Webster University, St. Louis MO
University of Vermont, Burlington VT
University of Vermont, Burlington VT
Boulder Journey School, Boulder CO
Appalachian State University, Boone NC
Eggleston VA
Ohio State University, Columbus OH
University of Calgary, Calgary AB Canada
University of Tennessee, Knoxville TN
Tufts University, Medford MA
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill NC
University of Vermont, Burlington VT
Ball State University, Muncie IN
South Dakota State University, Brookings SD
Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond KY


 

Q: Where can I post a job opening for a position at our Reggio-inspired school?

NAREA plans to have a job posting section on the NAREA web site in the future but does not currently have this capability. It is possible to subscribe to the Reggio listserv and post your school's job opening there. See the Reggio-L Discussion List website for instructions for subscribing to the Reggio listserv.


 

Q: I would like to invite someone to visit our school and/or present about their experiences with the Reggio Emilia approach in an upcoming conference in our area. Can you please advise?

Requests for speakers are considered by the NAREA executive committee, in order to research the availability of possible speakers within our membership. Please send detailed requests to


 

Q: I am looking for a Reggio school for my child. Can you help me?

The only "Reggio schools" are the 46 infant-toddler centers and preschools in Reggio Emilia, Italy.  In the future, the NAREA website will contain a map of contexts, in which Reggio-inspired schools will be listed through a self-nomination process. You might wish to contact the membership coordinator in your state/province/region to determine if any programs in your local area are known to be Reggio-inspired. You can access the membership coordinator list on the Home page of the NAREA web site. You could also contact the state resource and referral program listed for your area, which collects information about schools and programs for young children.

Philosophical Questions

 

Q: What is the meaning of the phrase "the hundred languages of children?"

Educators in Reggio believe that children have the right and the ability to express their thinking, theories, ideas, learning and emotions in many ways. Therefore, Reggio educators provide children with a wide range of materials and media, and welcome a diversity of experiences, so that children encounter many avenues for thinking, revising, constructing, negotiating, developing and symbolically expressing their thoughts and feelings. In this way, teachers, parents and children can better understand each other. These languages can include drawing, paint, clay, wire, natural and recycled materials, light and shadow, dramatic play, music and dance. They can also include expression with words through metaphors, stories or poems of the children’s interpretations and reflections about their experiences or through special design, such as maps and three dimensional constructions. In fact, there is not a separation between what it is considered traditionally artistic expression and academic education in the schools of Reggio Emilia. All are considered part of the one hundred and more languages of learning. Teachers in Reggio often encourage children to represent their ideas on a particular topic in multiple languages, and find that the process of moving between languages supports children in their understanding and learning. To learn more about the role of languages in children's learning and relationships, read Children, Art, Artists: The Expressive Languages of Children, The Artistic Language of Alburto Burri; The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Approach-Advanced Reflections and In the Spirit of the Studio: Learning from the Atelier of Reggio Emilia.


 

Q: I understand that schools in Reggio Emilia include a studio or atelier, and a studio teacher or atelierista? What can you tell me about the use of the atelier and the role of the atelierista in the Reggio centers and schools?

The space of the atelier or studio was created in the infant-toddler centers and preschools in order to challenge the concept of "teachers" as the single, supportive reference point for children in schools. By purposefully adding the perspective and experiences of a teacher educated in the visual arts, a new kind of dialogue became possible. Not only did adults from different fields find ways to work in concert, children and adults found new windows for expression and learning. The atelier was particularly appointed to support the use of materials and media as languages for expression and learning by the children. Through time and with the inclusion of mini-atelier in each classroom, the work with many languages has been integrated into the entire school. The atelierista or studio teacher has formal education in the arts, typically in the visual arts, and works collaboratively with other educators in the infant-toddler centers and preschools to further the educational project and objectives of the school community. The atelier, like the classroom, also supports the process of documentation, of making the learning and relationships of children, teachers and parents visible. This philosophical idea of exchange between fields, materials, experiences and people is so fundamental to the style of working, that each Reggio classroom also has a mini-atelier. To learn more about the role of the atelier and the atelierista, read The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Approach-Advanced Reflections and In the Spirit of the Studio: Learning from the Atelier of Reggio Emilia.


 

Q: I would like to learn more about the environment of the infant-toddler centers and preschools in Reggio Emilia. How are the rooms arranged and where can I find photographs of the Reggio schools?

The environment plays a very strong role in the infant-toddler centers and preschools in Reggio Emilia. The environment is viewed as the third teacher, with the power to provoke curiosity and learning, and encourage interaction. The elements of light, transparency and natural materials are strongly valued. You will not find commercial posters and plastic furniture bought from catalogs. What you will find is documentation of the learning experiences and interactions of the children, teachers and families as well as evidence of the identity of the community where the center or school is located. For more information on the role of the environment in the municipal infant-toddler centers and preschools of Reggio Emilia, read Children, Spaces, Relations: Metaproject for an Environment for Young Children and The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Approach-Advanced Reflections. Reggio Children has produced a set of slides called Open Windows that includes images of the infant-toddler centers and preschools. Further information on Open Windows can be found on the Reggio Children website and distributor information can be found in the General Bibliography section in Professional Development area of the NAREA website. If you are interested in purchasing the NAREA DVD, contact Cheryl Rapaport, NAREA Administrative Coordinator, at 770 552 0179.


 

Q: I understand that the Reggio approach is not teacher-directed. Is this true?

The Reggio educators believe that children, teachers and parents are partners in learning, and that children have the right and the ability to construct their own learning with the support and participation of teachers and parents. Reggio educators use the term progettazione to describe the evolution of learning that results from the processes of observation, interpretation and documentation of the experiences of children, teachers and parents together. At the basis of this process is the pedagogy of relationships and listening. In order for children and adults to construct learning together and find meaning in the world around them, reciprocal dialogue and interaction must be established and maintained throughout the school community. To learn more about progettazione and the processes of observation, interpretation and documentation, read Making Learning Visible: Children as Individual and Group Learners; The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Approach-Advanced Reflections; In Dialogue with Reggio Emilia: Listening, Researching and Learning and Bambini: The Italian Approach to Infant/Toddler Care.


 

Q: I understand that parents are very involved in the Reggio schools. Can you tell me more?

Participation in the education of their children is considered by Reggio educators to be a right and a responsibility of parents and families. Beginning with the first contacts between the infant-toddler centers or preschools and the families, the focus is on establishing and sustaining strong and respectful relationships. Parents and families are invited to participate in every possible way in the life of the center or school, including decisions on center/school policies and organization, collaborating with teachers in understanding and interpreting children's learning and interests in order to plan the course of their investigations, and working on projects for the environment. Children, teachers and families have the possibility to stay together in the same class for up to three years in the infant-toddler centers and the preschools, which supports the development of relationships and meaningful participation. The participation of community members in the life of the center/school is also strongly encouraged and expected. Education is viewed as a public responsibility. To learn more about the role of the family and community in the municipal infant-toddler centers and preschools, read Reggio Tutta: A Guide to the City by the Children; REMIDA Day; The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Approach-Advanced Reflections; In Dialogue with Reggio Emilia: Listening, Researching and Learning; Bambini: The Italian Approach to Infant/Toddler Care and The Charter of the City and Childhood Councils. The videotape, Not Just Anyplace, describes the role of community in the history and development of the municipal system of infant-toddler centers and preschools in Reggio Emilia.


 

Q: Do children with disabilities attend the Reggio infant-toddler centers and preschools?

Children with disabilities or "special rights," as the Reggio educators prefer to say, are among the first to be accepted into the Reggio municipal infant-toddler centers and preschools, along with children from single parent homes and those with limited financial means. In other words, these children are not placed on the waiting lists for attendance but are accepted immediately. In each classroom, there can be one child with "special rights" and every effort is made to support this child's participation in all of the experiences and activities of the other children in the classroom. An additional supporting teacher joins the two co-teachers in classrooms that include a child with special rights. This supporting teacher works with all of the children in the class, not just with the child with special rights. To learn more about inclusion of children with special rights in the municipal infant-toddler centers and preschools of Reggio Emilia, read The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Approach-Advanced Reflections and Innovations in Early Education: The International Reggio Exchange, Volume 5, No. 3 and Volume 13, No. 1.


 

Q: I am very interested in learning more about the Reggio Emilia preschool program. While I have found many excellent articles on the program, I have not been able to locate any evaluation/comparative studies on the long term outcomes for children who have participated in this program (i.e,. school readiness compared to a control group, long term outcomes in later school years). Any information that your alliance could provide on the availability of outcomes studies would be greatly appreciated.

In order to understand why comparative studies, such as the ones you describe, have not been done in Reggio Emilia, it is useful to understand more about the history, culture and values of their educational project.

One significant point to consider is the way in which "research" is viewed. Does research belong only to scientists? In the collaborative research project of Harvard Project Zero and the municipality of Reggio Emilia, described in the book, Making Learning Visible: Children as Individual and Group Learners, the authors describe the point of view taken in presenting their findings:

"Our book challenges traditional notions of research by viewing schools as places for documenting human learning and development... Our research is based on the notions that theory can result from as well as contribute to classroom practice, and that documentation of learning processes is critical to the research enterprise, as is the presence of multiple perspectives and languages. Rather than prescriptions, we have tried to provide a set of educational points of reference or orientation" (p 22-23).

Holding paramount the responsibility of documenting learning processes and giving ongoing visibility to human learning and development, each and every citizen, including children, is given a more democratic opportunity to "analyze" the work taking place inside the infant-toddler centers and preschools of the community. Research, then, is yet another form of participation, and ongoing interpretation is the high aim. As such, educational work in Reggio Emilia has been more about actualizing democracy—that is, locally determining the course of the education project—and less, or not at all, about comparing one school to the next.

If citizens in Reggio Emilia are fully welcome and fully participating, then the decisions about what to do in schools are more flexible and more inclusive of multiple points of view. The human intellectual attempt stays more connected to present time and present actions in a constant state of observation, analysis, reflection, and projection of action.

Further exploration of this topic can be found in the books, Making Learning Visible: Children as Individual and Group Learners and Beyond Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care: Postmodern Perspectives.

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