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Worldwide: Reggio Emilia approach

The Reggio Emilia approach is an educational philosophy that privileges the natural development of the child and his or her relationship with the outside environment. The involvement of parents and communities are at the very core of the philosophy. 

The approach was born in the city of Reggio Emilia, Italy, in the aftermath of the Second World War. As parents and communities worked together to reconstruct schools for their young children, they developed a pre- and basic school programme now adopted by many institutions around the world.

According to the Reggio Emilia philosophy, parents are considered to be the “first teachers”. The “second teachers” are classroom teachers; the “third teacher” is the environment. Consequently, parents are involved in every aspect of schooling: they are invited to participate in schools’ decision-making processes; they participate in the discussions on school policies, curricula and assessments; they are regularly apprised of their child’s progress in school and, in turn, are asked to report on their child’s learning experiences at home; and they are often involved in students’ activities and projects. Parents often participate in classroom activities and they are encouraged to apply Reggio Emilia principles at home. Meetings are usually held after working hours so more parents can attend.

http://zerosei.comune.re.it/inter/index.htm