Teachers travel to Reggio Emilia, Italy: Amita Mehta

Amita Mehta, 4A Teacher

It was an incredible experience, and I am very thankful to the All Souls Community for this opportunity. Apart from the workshops and lectures during my five-day stay, I visited three schools. Two of them—Faber and Prampolini—were infant– toddler centers and preschools. As Alida described earlier, they were housed in large townhouses with similar setups. The third school was located in the same complex as the Fondazione Reggio Children – Centro Loris Malaguzzi, which includes both a preschool and a primary school.

All of the schools were open in design, with a strong sense of fluidity. As we walked through the spaces and spoke with teachers, atelieristas, and pedagogistas, key concepts became not just visible—but deeply meaningful.
 

I had previously heard about the rights of children—for example, the right to know and the right to learn. But during this visit, I truly understood the depth of the word "right." Children are recognized as bearers of important rights: individual, social, and legal. They both carry and construct their own culture and are active participants in shaping their identity, autonomy, and capabilities. This construction happens through relationships and interactions—with peers, adults, ideas, objects, and both real and imaginary experiences within a communicative world. Witnessing this concept of children’s rights firsthand, day after day, profoundly impacted my teaching approach. It has led me toward a more fluid, open, and adaptable practice—one that responds to children’s emergent interests and unexpected growth. We also noticed many aspects that reminded us of All Souls. It reinforced what we already believe and practice every day.

 

Background on the Reggio Emilia Approach

After World War II, there was a powerful desire to rebuild what had been lost. In Reggio Emilia, community members—including parents—and educator Loris Malaguzzi came together to reconstruct their community through a new, child-centered approach to schooling.

This approach is rooted in democratic ideals and a belief in children’s inherent curiosity, capability, and rights. Over time, educators in Reggio Emilia developed key principles such as:

• Project-based learning
• The “hundred languages of children” (multiple expressive forms)
• The environment as the “third teacher”
• Careful documentation of children’s thinking
• Strong collaboration between teachers and families
• Deep respect for children’s autonomy

In Reggio Emilia, infant–toddler centers and preschools are publicly funded. The municipal government funds, manages, and oversees the schools, ensuring equitable access for all families. Rather than each school having its own director, a pedagogista oversees several schools. This public, community-based structure reflects the belief that high-quality education is a right—and must be accessible to everyone.