The 16th NAREA Winter Conference

Children and Adults Researching in the Daily Life

It is with great enthusiasm that the North American Reggio Emilia Alliance (NAREA) welcomes you to The 16^th NAREA Winter Conference, “Children and Adults Researching in the Daily Life.” This gathering is a NAREA initiative in collaboration with Reggio Children, Affiliated Services for Children & Youth, and the City of Hamilton Early Years Division.

We are delighted to be here in Hamilton, a city rich in natural beauty and known as the “city of waterfalls.” Since the 19th century, Hamilton has also been called the “ambitious city,” a spirit that is alive and well in the educators, organizers, and community members who have worked alongside us to bring the Bordercrossings: Encounters With Living Things/ Digital Landscapes exhibition + atelier and this conference to life.

At NAREA, our mission is to strengthen connections between the values and practices of Reggio Emilia and educators, advocates, and professionals across North America. Over the past year, we have brought this vision to life through multiple initiatives, including three conferences, two webinar series (The Fundamentals of the Reggio Emilia Approach), and two remarkable exhibitions + ateliers—Mosaic of Marks, Words, Material and Bordercrossings. We also launched NAREA Global Learning Journeys in Stockholm, Sweden, and Pistoia and Reggio Emilia, Italy. Additionally, we published Innovations in Early Education: The International Reggio Emilia Exchange, updated our website, supported the Reggio Children International Network and the Reggio Children – Loris Malaguzzi Center Foundation, and raised funds to provide professional materials to underserved communities.

With special gratitude, we welcome Moira Nicolosi, pedagogista, Marco Spaggiari, atelierista, and Jane McCall, interpreter. Their presence and exchange with us enrich our collective understanding of the values, principles, and experiences of the Preschools and Infant-Toddler Centers – Istituzione of the Municipality of Reggio Emilia. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Reggio Emilia community, including Reggio Children, for their unwavering dedication to advancing the rights of children, families, and educators.

As we engage in continuous study, collaboration, and dialogue, let us carry with us the words of Loris Malaguzzi: “Children have the right to imagine. We need to give them full rights of citizenship in life and in society. . . . Instead of always giving children protection, we need to give them the recognition of their rights and of their strengths” (Malaguzzi, 1994, p. 5). Let’s embrace a shared vision for education—one that nurtures the potential of every child and adult with an ambitious
commitment to research, curiosity, and invention, honoring the unique identity of each, shaped by the communities in which they exist.

March 20–22, 2025 | Hamilton, Ontario