The following is a piece written for the University of Derby by Linda Thornton

In this time of uncertainty in the field of early education and childcare -over funding issues, impending expansion of the free entitlement and the changing nature of children’s centres amongst other things- we must, as a profession, continue to reflect on our core principles and values. Whatever difficulties we encounter in our working lives our duty now, as always, must be to defend the right of babies and young children to quality provision. One of the ways in which we can do this is to re-visit the influences from at home and abroad which have enriched our early years provision in the UK over the past fifteen to twenty years. The first place I would return to for inspiration is, unsurprisingly, Reggio Emilia in Italy and I would begin by re-assessing the quality of the learning environment I was providing for the children in my care and their families.

We can start by thinking about the many different environments which we encounter on a daily basis; we know which we like and don’t like, which are beautiful and which are ugly and which ones make us feel valued as individuals. We need to stand back and reflect upon the environments which we provide for children and families – do they reflect our philosophy and values, are they comfortable but challenging and creative places, are they user-friendly and respectful, are they beautiful?

The influence of Reggio Emilia

The preschools and infant toddler centres of the city of Reggio Emilia in Northern Italy are renowned internationally for the emphasis they place on creating beautiful environments to support children’s emotional, cognitive and social development. They have a long history of valuing the importance of the environment, of surroundings and of the way spaces are conceptualised and created.

‘It has been said that the environment should act as a kind of aquarium which reflects the ideas, ethics, attitudes and life-style of the people who live in it.’

(Malaguzzi, 1998)

The story of the creation of environments for early childhood in Reggio Emilia goes back to the end of the Second World War. Mothers and fathers living in the small village of Villa Cella on the outskirts of the city sold an army tank, six horses and three trucks left by the German forces in order to build a preschool. They had the idea of a school which would be different from any other, believing that ‘if the children had legitimate rights, then they should also have opportunities to develop their intelligence and to be made ready for the success that would not, and should not, escape them’. (Malaguzzi, 1998)

Central to the Reggio Approach is a powerful image of the child. Children are viewed as strong, competent individuals with their own ideas and theories about the world around them. In Reggio they speak of the ‘challenging’ child, the ‘creative’ child, the child who is connected to others, the child who is an active citizen of the city. The environments of the preschools and infant toddler centres are designed, arranged, equipped and resourced to support this image of children. (more…)