Pistoia | April 6–11, 2025
Welcome Participants!
Background
For over 20 years, Pistoia’s network of early childhood centers has been the focus of interest from the international community. Located 30 minutes west of Florence in the province of Tuscany, the city of Pistoia has a history of municipal infant-toddler centers, preschools, and AreaBambini (children’s areas). The first preschool opened in 1964 and the first infant-toddler center in 1972. In 1982, the first AreaBambini for children 18 months–8 years opened and the first babies and parents center in 1996. The Italian national infant-toddler and preschool system is managed via the municipalities in Italy. The municipalities have identities that are based on the culture and values of their communities.
How to get around
The city of Pistoia is about 20 miles west of the Florence, Italy airport. To learn about transportation from Florence to Pistoia, visit ItaliaRail website. From the Pistoia railway station (in Piazza Dante Alighieri), you can get a taxi to your hotel, or it may be within walking distance. There is a taxi stand in Piazza San Francisco, near the Education and Training Service. Pistoia is a very walkable city. Please prepare yourself for plenty of walking.
Historical References
Books, Stories, and the Imagination at “The Nursery Rhyme”: A Qualitative Case Study of the Learning Environment at an Italian Preschool
Reflections on Inserimento, the Process of Welcoming Children and Parents into the Infant-Toddler Center: An Interview with Lella Gandini
Key Details
Central meeting location
Cultural Suggestions
Self-Exploration
Museo dell’Antico Palazzo dei Vescovi
Museo dello Spedale del Ceppo
Basilica della Madonna dell’Umiltà
Chiesa di San Giovanni Fuoricivitas
Meet Your Group
Georgia
NAREA
Beginning with The Wonder of Learning – The Hundred Languages of Children exhibition and currently with the Mosaic of Marks, Words, Material exhibition + atelier and the Bordercrossings: Encounters With Living Things / Digital Landscapes exhibition + atelier, Judy serves as the NAREA exhibitions coordinator. Additionally, she works in the area of communications, including overseeing the NAREA journal, Innovations in Early Education: The International Reggio Emilia Exchange, after serving as editor for over 25 years.
Indiana
Giving Tree Early Learning
Krysti has been passionately dedicated to early childhood education since 2001. Over the years, she has embraced many roles, each one deepening her understanding and love for guiding young minds. In the classroom, she focuses on the growth and development of the children, always seeking new and creative ways to help them explore and understand the world around them. In 2015, she earned a bachelor’s degree in nutrition science, followed by the completion of an Infant/Toddler CDA. She pursued an infant-toddler mental health endorsement in 2021. Recently, she celebrated the completion of a master’s degree in elementary education, with a special focus on early childhood, at Ball State University. At Giving Tree Early Learning in Indianapolis, Indiana, she focuses on building meaningful connections with children and their families and contributing to the community they create together.
California
Hilltop Preschool
Ariel is in her 4th year teaching at Hilltop Preschool in Fountain Valley, California, where she is the first alumna to join the teaching staff. She completed a master’s program at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland and her undergraduate work was at the University of Minnesota. She has completed Parenting From the Heart courses and has been an au pair for a family in Norway. She also completed her associate teaching certificate in early childhood education at Orange Coast College and the University of California, Los Angeles. Currently in her 3rd year with the Blossom class, she has a love for discovery, and her continual desire to grow as a learner makes her a valuable addition to the Hilltop Preschool community.
California
Hilltop Preschool
Lynette has worked in childcare for over 30 years. She has taught in the Seeds, Sprouts, Blooms, and Blossoms classes at Hilltop Preschool in Fountain Valley, California. During the 2023–2024 school year, she served as a co-op teacher and the director of the school. She has attended workshops and lectures on the Reggio Emilia Approach and the Waldorf School pedagogy. She is also a certified Parenting from the Heart instructor. She has a passion for helping families become stronger and more effective at communicating with each other. She finds delight and wonder in supporting children as they discover the world around them and embracing the strength that comes from learning and growing as a person.
Colorado
Children’s Garden Montessori School
Kristen feels privileged to work with young children for over 20 years. Her teaching career began at a Montessori school in Alaska. She was sent to Colorado to get Infant/Toddler Montessori training in 1997 and Primary Montessori training in 2000. She fell in love with Colorado, where she moved in 2002 and was hired at Children’s Garden Montessori School in Denver. She is a toddler teacher at Children’s Garden, a Montessori school inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach. She completed a bachelor’s degree in human development with a minor in elementary education. She is interested in learning more about the Reggio philosophy.
Her teenage daughters had the opportunity to attend Children’s Garden.
California
Hilltop Preschool Co-op Fountain Valley
This is Elizabeth’s fourth year teaching at Hilltop Preschool Co-op in Fountain Valley, California. She graduated from UCLA with a BA in Fine Arts, attended their MLIS program for two years, and built a strong foundation and appreciation for the arts and children’s literature. This knowledge base, matched with her profound appreciation of her children’s early childhood education experience and the teachers who supported her family, transformed her into the teacher she is today. She has seen the magic that play holds for all aspects of a child’s development and how process and project-based art supplements that growth in the classroom.
Missouri
Shirlee Green Preschool
Danielle is an experienced and passionate pre-K educator with over 11 years of teaching experience. She has dedicated her career to fostering a love of learning in young children while advocating for their educational rights and the importance of early childhood education. She was an integral part of the Paradigm Community of Practice project with the St. Louis Jewish Federation in 2021, where she collaborated with fellow educators to enhance learning environments. She expanded her professional development by attending the 2024 NAREA Summer Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she engaged n meaningful discussions about advocating for the “100 languages” as an essential educational right for children, families, and educators. Her teaching philosophy is rooted in design thinking, a Reggio-inspired concept. Each year, her pre-K class embarks on a project that aims to create a positive impact in their community.
Colorado
Children’s Garden Montessori School
Sixteen years ago, Rose began working at Children’s Garden Montessori School in Denver, Colorado. She has always worked with toddlers and has American Montessori Society training at the Infant/Toddler level. She loves the Montessori philosophy and is excited to learn more about other educational philosophies.
New Jersey
The Hudson School
Kristen teaches preschool at The Hudson School (formerly Mustard Seed School) in Hoboken, New Jersey. She has been working with 3- to 5-year-old children for 15 years at The Hudson School, which is a Reggio-inspired school. It was here that she first learned about the Reggio Emilia Approach and came to understand its value. Helping children to experience and interact with the natural world daily, especially in an urban environment, is vitally important to her teaching. She began her teaching career as a first grade teacher at a public school in Brooklyn, New York.
Colorado
University of Colorado
Kristie is the executive director of the National P-3 Center and research professor at the University of Colorado, Denver School of Education and Human Development. She specializes in education reform efforts that address the continuum of learning from birth through third grade. Her expertise spans policy, research, and practice, and her research interests straddle the paradigmatic, pedagogical, and policy divides that exist between birth-to-five and K-12 systems. Her authorship includes articles, book chapters, and reports on topics ranging from state kindergarten policies to early childhood governance to P-3 policy alignment. She holds a BA in political science from Colorado College, an MA in international development from American University, and a doctorate in early childhood policy from Teachers College at Columbia University. She encourages students to engage with and better understand the cultural, social, and political contexts that support student-centered pedagogies. She has brought students to visit Reggio Emilia since 2014.
California
Hilltop Preschool
Stephanie is in her 5th year with the community of Hilltop Preschool in Fountain Park, California. She has been a working parent, a 3-year Parenting From the Heart student, and a co-op teacher. She has her MA in teaching from Rider University and over 15 years of experience working with children. After teaching preschool and kindergarten in the public school system, she believes that Hilltop’s play-based, Reggio-inspired curriculum is like “a breath of fresh air.”
Indiana
Giving Tree Early Learning
Nicole earned a degree in elementary education at Ball State University, which led her to her true passion—early childhood education. For over 30 years, she’s had the joy and privilege of guiding children through the blossoming stages of their learning, watching them grow with curiosity, creativity, and boundless wonder. In her classroom at Giving Tree Early Learning in Indianapolis, Indiana, the teachers draw inspiration from the Reggio educational philosophy. This philosophy, with its focus on creativity, collaboration, and exploration, has deeply influenced how the educators approach education. In 2018, she had the opportunity to travel to Reggio Emilia, Italy, where she immersed herself in the philosophy, drawing inspiration from the roots of this approach. As the Reggio lead and assistant director at Giving Tree, she is honored to play a part in shaping and inspiring the program’s study of the Reggio Emilia philosophy, helping to cultivate an environment where each child’s potential can bloom. In 2020, she furthered her knowledge and commitment by earning a master’s degree in elementary education, with a focus on early childhood administration.
Colorado
Children’s Garden Montessori School
Samantha is in her 3rd year of teaching at Children’s Garden Montessori School in Denver, Colorado. As a child, she attended a progressive Montessori school in Denton, Texas. It was here she developed a deep love for learning and a strong sense of community. She went on to study human rights in her undergraduate education and worked with a number of nonprofit organizations supporting children and families, frequently in the refugee community. She taught in New York City public schools and received her master’s degree in early childhood and special education. After a few years of teaching in New York, she worked with Save the Children on the Afghan Evacuee Response, working on U.S. military bases and supporting children and mothers during a challenging time. Following this experience, she decided to go back in the classroom. Having a deep love and respect for the Montessori philosophy, she completed the American Montessori Society training and worked at a Montessori school with a Reggio-inspired studio space. It has been an absolute joy for her to learn about the Reggio Emilia philosophy over the past few years, and she is eager to continue her learning.
Indiana
Giving Tree Early Learning
Alethia is from Indianapolis, Indiana. Her passion for early childhood education began while staying home with her toddlers, which inspired her to pursue a career in this field, beginning in 2015. In 2018, she graduated from Ivy Tech Community College and continued her studies at Indiana Wesleyan University, earning a degree in early childhood education with a minor in reading. This deepened her understanding of child development and how young children thrive. About 10 years ago, she was introduced to the Reggio Emilia Approach through a Reggio-inspired early childhood program and was captivated with its philosophy and the beauty of its environment. The belief that children flourish in authentic, purposeful spaces connected to nature resonated deeply with her. She chose to enroll her own children in Reggio-inspired schools, and they thrived in an environment that honored their curiosity. As her passion for the Reggio Emilia Approach grew, she transitioned into an administrative role within a Reggio-inspired program, where she works to create an environment that nurtures a love of learning and exploration.
Virginia
St. Joseph’s Preschool
Cinzia is a seasoned educator with more than 20 years of specialized experience in early childhood development, particularly rooted in the Reggio Emilia framework. With a robust background in preschool and kindergarten administration, she has effectively managed the delivery of high-quality educational experiences for young children. Since 2009, she has held the position of school director at St. Joseph’s Preschool in Falls Church, Virginia. In this capacity, she is a staunch advocate of the Reggio Emilia philosophy, which prioritizes child-centered, inquiry-based pedagogies and recognizes the environment as the “third teacher.” Her leadership has successfully fostered an atmosphere of nurturing collaboration and creativity, establishing meaningful relationships among educators, students, and families, thereby enhancing educational outcomes. Throughout her career, she has contributed to various educational institutions in California and Virginia, including Redwood Village Children’s Center and Saint Sebastian School. She has demonstrated her expertise in educational programs that address the diverse needs of students, including those with learning disabilities. Her profound love of Reggio Emilia principles positions her as a leader in holistic child development. Her unwavering commitment inspires both her students and colleagues, empowering children to take charge of their learning journeys and cultivating a community that nurtures a deep love of learning.
California
Olive Children Preschool
Sheela is the director of Olive Children Preschool in Fremont, California. Before moving to this position, she taught children aged 2–6 years from 2007–2014 at Geetam’s Home Daycare and volunteered at Mission College Child Development Center. She joined Olive Children in 2016 and taught kindergarten. She holds a bachelor’s degree in science, has completed the required courses in early childhood education from Mission College, and finished her administrative courses at UCLA. She also has a diploma in computer science and worked as program developer before coming into the educational field. She loves working with children and feels content and blessed when she sees their eyes light up when they discover something new in the school environment.
California
Olive Children Preschool
Over 20 years of experience in education, Viradel has had the privilege of working with
children in various age groups, from early childhood through junior high. For the past 12 years, her focus has been on working with infants, toddlers, and preschool children. She is continually fascinated by how young learners independently develop essential skills. This passion for child development led her to explore new educational philosophies, and she is especially excited to delve deeper. She looks forward to integrating other educational approaches into her teaching and continuing to nurture the growth and potential of every child she encounters
Missouri
Shirlee Green Preschool
Linda has been a dedicated early childhood educator for over 20 years, providing students a strong foundation for lifelong learning. Since 2009, she has been teaching at Shirlee Green Preschool in St. Louis, Missouri, a school with a unique approach centered on student-led, community-based projects. Beyond her classroom experience, she actively participates in professional development workshops and collaborates with other educators on research-based, innovative teaching. She believes in creating a classroom environment that is nurturing, inclusive, and led by the interests and passions of the children. This environmental context drives the development of projects, using the principles of design thinking and encouraging empathy, creativity, collaboration, and leadership. Her educational philosophy is Reggio-inspired and rooted in the belief that children are unique, creative, intelligent, and capable of self-direction. She is committed to instilling a love of learning, exploration, and a sense of community and citizenship to her students. She hopes that when each child is ready to embark on the next leg of their educational journey, they are confident, kind, and experience the wonder and joy of childhood.
Georgia
Peachtree Presbyterian Preschool
Muffin has been a dedicated educator at Peachtree Presbyterian Preschool in Atlanta, Georgia for 23 years, bringing her passion for early childhood education and language learning to the classroom. With a BS in education from the University of Georgia and certification as a French educator (K–12), she has spent the past decade studying the Reggio Emilia Approach. She is eager to expand her understanding of constructivist education by visiting Pistoia, where she hopes to explore a school system that shares similar views of children and learning. For her, the most rewarding part of teaching pre-K is witnessing the remarkable growth in children’s confidence throughout the year. She is continually inspired by their curiosity, intelligence, and eagerness to learn. Since embracing the Reggio Emilia Approach, she has also come to deeply cherish the strengthened relationships with families, recognizing the profound impact of collaboration on children’s development.
Georgia
Peachtree Presbyterian Preschool
Stephanie earned her BA in journalism from Auburn University. She has been a dedicated educator at Peachtree Presbyterian Preschool in Atlanta, Georgia for 18 years, immersed in the school’s Reggio-inspired approach for the past decade. The most rewarding part of her role is learning with and from the children. Their innate curiosity, love for discovery, and ability to build trust and care for others make each day meaningful. She treasures the joy and wonder they bring to the learning experience, continually reminding her of the beauty and purpose of her work. Her passion for early childhood education is leading her to Pistoia, Italy, where she plans to engage in study and exchange with like-minded educators and further inspire her work with children.
Istanbul
Mutlu Insanlar
Elif is an educator in a private practice in Istanbul, Turkey. She provides DIR®-informed interventions to neurodiverse children and their families since 2010. Her special interests are parent education, supporting preschool readiness in early years, and peer interaction in school-aged children. Since 2019, she has led group programs guided by the DIR® principles and the Reggio Emilia Approach. Since June 2020, she has been leading the 9-week-long online parent training program. She is an assistant faculty member for Profectum and provides treatment, tutoring, and training using the DIR® model.
Georgia
Peachtree Presbyterian Preschool
Jessica has been an educator at Peachtree Presbyterian Preschool in Atlanta, Georgia since 2001. She first fell in love with the Reggio Emilia Approach to learning when she participated in a Reggio-inspired professional development initiative at one of the original collaborative schools of Project Infinity in 2003. She then became an integral part of the process of Peachtree’s study and transition to a Reggio-inspired preschool. She has participated in NAREA conferences in Tulsa, New York, and Washington, DC, as well as two study groups in Reggio Emilia.
California
Hilltop Preschool
Lisa is excited to embark on her first year as a teacher at Hilltop Preschool in Fountain Valley, California. She holds a BA in the history of art from The University of Leeds in the United Kingdom and also completed a study abroad year at University of California, Irvine, earning an international certificate in the history of art. She is currently enrolled in an early childhood program at Orange Coast College to earn her assistant teacher certificate. Her twins have attended Hilltop for 2 years. Her volunteer work in the classroom over the past 2 years has been a source of inspiration, driven by the interactions with teachers, children, and Hilltop’s philosophy. Before transitioning to teaching, she had a successful career in the jewelry industry, designing, creating, and selling jewelry.
Together, we are empowering exceptional education.
