Reggio Emilia
Our Approach
Our curriculum is based on the Reggio Emilia Approach and includes a combination of exploration, creative expression, practice of everyday tasks, and small-group cooperative efforts. Children are encouraged to learn by exploring their environment using their senses. Teachers are guides who create classrooms full of opportunities for stimulation, the use of challenging materials, and fun activities. Children are encouraged to repeat key experiences, observe and re-observe, consider and reconsider, represent and re-present. Teachers are responsive to the children’s interests and are highly sensitive to topics that capture children’s imagination.
History of the Reggio Emilia Curriculum
Reggio Emilia is a town in Northern Italy with a population of about 150,000.
Immediately after World War II, citizens decided to collectively invest their time and efforts into establishing quality public preschools with the goal of creating a sense of hope in their war-torn community. From the beginning, the establishment of schools in Reggio Emilia were different because of their centralized image of the child as being competent, engaged citizens. The establishment and expansion of schools for young children in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy was predominantly pioneered by a man named Loris Malaguzzi, who was a middle school teacher with a strong background in psychology. As the curriculum developed, it possessed inspiration from various sources, including: American and European standards for progressive education, Piagetian constructivist beliefs, Italian postwar left-reform politics and participatory democracy.
In 1963, the city assumed funding for these schools which aided in their expansion across parts of Italy. Now there are currently more than 30 preschools and infant-toddler centers offering full-day care and social service support for families in Reggio Emilia. Present-day, educators around the world practice teaching in a Reggio Emilia-inspired fashion, with schools established in numerous European countries, the United States, Canada, China and Australia. Hundreds of educators visit the sacred city of Reggio Emilia, Italy to better connect themselves to the well-known educational philosophy and gain a deeper understanding of how these schools came to be.
Reggio Emilia in the Classroom
There is no certification for educators who choose to engage with children in a Reggio Emilia-inspired fashion. Rather, it is a lifestyle choice, a commitment to viewing children as strong, capable and competent individuals who have endless contributions to share with their world.
Taken from Reggio Emilia at NAEYC by Penny Fahlman: The renowned public preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy emphasize the following concepts:
Emergent Curriculum
The emergent curriculum builds upon the interests of children. Topics for study are captured from the talk and play of children. It requires the teachers to observe, document, and brainstorm. The teachers then work together for possible directions of a project, the materials needed and possible parent and community support and involvement based on what they learn from the children.