Student FAQs

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

Helpful Resources

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 website.

I am writing an article about the Reggio Emilia Approach. Does NAREA have statistics on its popularity in the North America?

Quantifying Popularity is Pretty Tough

Quantifying popularity is a pretty tough thing to do. Data collected by NAREA indicates 2,800 schools for young children in Canada and the U.S. hold memberships or have participated in NAREA professional learning initiatives.

Our sense about the influence of the Reggio Emilia philosophies and experiences in North America is that it exists on a rather long continuum. There are schools that have been in close, ongoing consultation with educators from Reggio Emilia, and there are schools probably unaware of the influence Reggio has had in their work. Reggio has influenced the ways in which school environments are interpreted, prepared and, sometimes, built; the ways in which educators “follow” the development of children through tangible efforts of documentation; the ways in which children are viewed more as capable and competent and less as needy; the ways in which educators feel and act in partnership with children and families, and the ways in which relationships with children, colleagues, families, and the community are tended to with pleasure.

In short, Reggio exerts that school is not preparation for life, but that school is life. This notion has begun to shape a different style of education within schools for young children throughout the world.

Are there universities where the teacher education curriculum has been influenced by the Reggio Emilia Approach?

Teacher Educator Programs

There are teacher educators on the current and former NAREA board and the current and former Innovations editorial board who you can contact regarding their experiences in the evolution of their universities’ teacher education programs in relation to the Reggio Emilia Approach:

Karyn Callaghan, McGill University, Montreal, QC

David Fernie, Wheelock Colloge, Boston, MA

Juana Reyes, Louis University, Chicago, IL

Brenda Fyfe, Webster University, St. Louis, MO

Jeanne Goldhaber, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT

How do I join a Students and Professors Study Group?

Learning in Reggio Emilia

This U.S. Students and Professors study group is for graduate and undergraduate students and accompanying professors whose work with students at U.S. colleges and universities is influenced by the Reggio Emilia Approach. It fits well with short-term faculty-led study abroad programs and independent study, offering students practical international experience to support their corresponding academic coursework.

Students should be familiar with the history and fundamental principles of the Reggio Emilia Approach so that they have some contextual framework before being immersed in the actual experience. Opportunities for dialogue and exchange among the group and with educators in Reggio Emilia will offer students many possibilities for gaining a deeper understanding of the history, challenges, strategies, and accomplishments of the municipal infant-toddler centers and preschools of Reggio Emilia.