Reggio Remains a Lasting Influence

In our survey of key influences earlier this year, several of you, including Deborah Wansbrough of Auckland, New Zealand, cited the town of Reggio Emilia approach “for their powerful view of children with their 100 languages.” Martha Melgoza, an executive director from California cited Loris Malaguzzi’s book The Hundred Languages of Children: “This book has at its core a central belief that children matter. They matter at a level that society does not really see. The Reggio Emilia people founded their practices after World War II as they saw the impact of the war. They decided valuing children and supporting their curious nature was needed. And it is.” Camillo Reimensnyder, a Nature Based Curriculum Coordinator from Maine said Reggio Emilia's "focus on children as capable beings, teachers as learners, and the hundred languages of children anchors my work. As an outdoor educator, the implicit ecological sensitivities embedded in the work of Reggio Emilia educators and the community has been an inspiration.” Nora Richards, a director from Massachusetts, cited, “books, workshops, conferences, and a study group [that] exposed me to the ideas of the Reggio approach. I have tried hard to refine my observational skills, impart theory to my staff, and approach the field of early education with a Reggio inspired lens.” Lois Ingellis, an adjunct lecturer in California, appreciated how Lisa Proter Kuh & Iris Chin Ponte wove together approaches by Dewey, Montessori, Vygotsky, and Reggio’s Malaguzzi, noting they "are our strong ece foundations to build our practice upon. We all need to stay grounded in these principles.”

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