The 7th NAREA Winter Conference

Values and Quality of Life within the Context of an Educating Society: Responsibility, Community, Citizenship, and Creative Thinking

In 2015, NAREA held multiple conferences and initiatives – from the Winter Conference in New York, the Summer Conference in Pittsburgh, The Inaugural Beyond Preschool Conference in Atlanta, to the local Brick by Brick Series in several regions. We remain committed to bringing together educators with the aim of supporting and strengthening all those interested in the experiences and ongoing research of Reggio Emilia, Italy.

It is with special gratitude that we welcome our colleagues Paola Cagliari and Francesca Mandredi from Reggio Emilia, Italy. We extend our appreciation to the Florida Reggio Collaborative for the Rights of Children for hosting this initiative and supporting the planning connected to it. A heartfelt thank you goes out to the children, families, and educators of the schools opening their doors to give us a glimpse into their daily life.

We believe in the value of embracing history, identity, cultural diversity, and differences as essential aspects of personal and professional development. Recognizing the ever-increasing number of programs for young children inspired by Reggio’s approach to life and education, we honor and encourage each program and every group of colleagues to invest in an ongoing approach that includes permanent study, research, collaboration, innovation, transparency, and exchange.

Through our professional development projects, we encounter schools willing to open their doors, expose their work, and welcome the participation of visitors. This style of development has been introduced to all of us by the only “Reggio schools” of Reggio Emilia, Italy. To be continually encouraged to find our own unique identities as schools in different communities is to see how much the message of Reggio Emilia is based on attitudes of research and invention, rather than prescriptive dogma. For this, we are also grateful.

Please enjoy the pleasure of thinking and wondering as we work together to construct a better future for our children, our communities, and ourselves.

March 3–5, 2016 | Miami, Florida