With Love from Italy: Reflections from Reggio Emilia
Accompanying Episode 17 of the Atelier Podcast
There are moments in professional life that stay with you, not because they provide simple answers, but because they invite deeper questions. Our latest episode of the Atelier Talks Podcast was recorded in the days following our participation in the International Study Tour in Reggio Emilia, and it is very much shaped by one of those moments.
Reggio Emilia is often spoken about; referenced in training rooms, cited in policy documents, and admired from afar. But being there is something altogether different. The experience does not offer a checklist of practices to reproduce; instead, it immerses you in a way of seeing children, learning, and community that is both deeply intentional and profoundly human.
In this episode, we reflect on our first impressions. Walking into environments that immediately communicate trust in children as competent learners. Not because this is a slogan, but because every material, every space, every interaction quietly reinforces this belief. Nothing feels accidental. Everything feels considered through the eyes of the child.
Participation as a Pedagogical Act
One of the strongest threads running through our reflections is participation, not as an add-on or outcome, but as a core pedagogical principle. Children’s voices are not simply heard; they are acted upon. Families are not recipients of provision but contributors to meaning-making. Educators are not transmitters of knowledge but co-researchers within a learning community.
This is participation lived daily, embedded in the rhythm of the schools and the wider city itself. It is political, relational, and deeply respectful.
Materials That Speak
In Reggio Emilia, materials are not neutral. They provoke, invite, and sustain thinking. They are chosen with care and offered with trust. In the podcast, we explore how materials become languages, enabling children to express ideas, revisit theories, and communicate meaning in ways that extend far beyond words.
Viewing practice through the eyes of the child demands that we slow down. That we notice what captures children’s attention, what they return to, and how they make meaning over time. This requires patience, humility, and a willingness to truly listen.
Community at the Heart
Perhaps most powerfully, the experience reminds us that high-quality early years practice does not exist in isolation. It lives within the community, shaped by shared values, collective responsibility, and a strong image of the child. The schools of Reggio Emilia feel connected to their place, their people, and their history in ways that feel both rooted and alive.
An Invitation to Listen
This blog can only ever offer a glimpse. The real depth, warmth, and passion sit within the conversation itself. The podcast is reflective, honest, and filled with moments of wonder that capture the learning, emotion, and provocation that emerged from being part of this international study tour.
If you are curious about what it means to truly see practice through the eyes of the child; if you are interested in participation, materials, community, and the image of the competent learner; and if you are drawn to reflective dialogue that challenges and inspires, we warmly invite you to listen.
Tune in to the latest episode of the Atelier Talks Podcast for an immersive journey, thoughtful conversation, and a shared sense of what early childhood education can be when values lead the way.