This was interesting to read, I've always admired Reggio Emilia but you're right that mostly the art/projects get taken as inspiration and not so much the democratic elements. Sounds similar to Playcentre in NZ, which was set up in the 1940s. Not every Playcentre is great at putting it into practice but in theory the children are supposed to be involved in decision making.
Playcentre is a parent run co-op childcare facility -- each one is a bit different as each community has different needs but generally they're open in the mornings and a parent or grandparent attends with their child/ren. Loads of play resources available, and parents will set up a few materials to be explored. There's discussion of what to set up based on previous sessions and what the children are asking for on the day. The play is child led and any boundaries are around safety, but there are sometimes adult directed activities (e.g. baking) which children can participate in if they want. It's mixed age from 0-6, some centres allow older homeschooled siblings, some don't. You talked a bit about the village in a post recently and I feel like Playcentre has been the closest to a parenting village I have found, as I've met and made friends with many local families. When someone has a baby we make them meals etc. There are certainly negatives to Playcentre (and again depends a lot on the specific communities) but I love the philosophy and the fact that it is affordable to everyone. (There is a small optional donation but it is truly optional, only for those who can afford it.) Of course with many families needing the parents to both work full time it means it is not accessible to everybody.
Sorry, this was very long! I could keep going for a long time, I haven't even touched on the free parent education that is offered through the centre. 😅
Loved reading this and thinking about the history piece of things, especially in terms of antifascist ways of being with young people. Thanks for this, Fran!
I resonate deeply with so much of what you’ve shared here, Fran. I currently work at a Reggio-inspired early learning center in Colorado, USA, and previously spent many years at a similar center in Australia. I also see that only certain aspects of the Reggio approach translate meaningfully outside of Reggio Emilia itself, as it is so deeply embedded in the history and culture of that place.
When you say: "... its emphasis is on an on-going, equal dialogue between children, adults and environment which acts “as a process of transformation where you lose absolutely the possibility of controlling the final result.” I love this sentence so much because it is the opposite of our current system which explicitly aims to mould and shape children into future workers, and has very specific end goals." In the Reggio-inspired spaces I am part of, I am noticing that the children’s voices are still often missing. The environments remain largely adult-centered, with a strong focus on preparing children for elementary school and their future working lives. There is still a very strong message of adults know best.
You also write: "Reggio pedagogy, also establishes power dynamics between children and practitioners that are based on collaboration rather than top-down coercion, and that are inclusive rather than marginalising."
This crucial part is often missing. Sometimes it’s due to licensing requirements and regulations, which dictate that certain things must happen uniformly across all children and services. Other times, it’s because educators are expected to meet the needs of many different stakeholders within the same space, making true collaboration difficult to sustain.
It makes me think about how, in Australia, we don’t really have forests — we have the bush. While I was still living in Sydney, I had the opportunity to take part in a pilot course called Bush Connections. It was an effort to adapt some of the transferable elements of Forest School in a way that felt culturally appropriate for the Australian context.
It also makes me wonder: what would rights-respecting early learning services look like within an American culture and context?
I really appreciated your reflections on how we don't get to decide who our children are or who they will become — and that their paths may be entirely different from our own. It’s such an important reminder that the only person I can truly shape is myself, and that I need to lead by example - not just in my family, but in our community and my workplace. This is where I am finding all my thoughts lately.
Nollaig thanks for sharing your experience. It’s tough because as far as I can see, and similarly to Montessori, anyone can call themselves Reggio-inspired. And so it ends up perhaps diluting the original aim of the method? And also applying it indiscriminately to all places and people? I also wonder about a lot of Reggio settings not actually explicitly being sites of social justice - bc the Reggio project is and was absolutely a place where the whole community could gather and work together to make their lives more just. That said, I think Reggio, even in its original form, still lacks an understanding of power and adult dominance that we have as self-directed people/unschoolers. This is prob my biggest critique of Reggio - it calls itself democratic but it isn’t really entirely democratic because children are still not having a say in the running of the school, the structure of their day, etc. it’s democratic to the extent it teaches democracy but I feel deeply that you can’t teach things without also practicing them!
Yeah, I definitely don't feel that any of the Reggio inspired services I have worked at are/were sites of social justice. The one is Australia definitely worked at bringing in more First Nations voices and ways of being, but the one I currently work in feels completely void of social justice. So really the only parts of the pedagogy that are transferrable that I can see people incorporating has to do with having ample art materials, natural resources, aesthetically pleasing environments, emergent curriculum, and doing some project-based learning - all of which are great - but the heart of Reggio is definitely missing. Yes, teaching democracy without practicing is rather hollow for sure.
your thinking and reflecting always brings me such hope, Fran. Thank you for calling in this perspective and historical context as it relates to learning and education.
Someone recently challenged me that my children might grow up to be conservatives, just as I moved away from my parents’ far right political views, swinging far left. That was a difficult challenge to consider, mostly because it feels like it’s become less a political difference and more a moral/ethical one. I guess all I can do is what another commenter said: pass on values. Teach them how to distinguish between accurate sources of information, to fact check everything, in an age where misinformation and AI is king.
Overall I think unschooling has the power to raise kids who think outside the capitalist system. My kids (unlike me) are unafraid to say “no” and to challenge authority. Respect is earned, not deserved because of position. I was raised in evangelical Christianity where obedience was king and it definitely supports fascism.
My oldest is unhurried to get her license or a job, and she has the freedom to not do those things right now. My second, on the other hand, is itching to get a job the second he turns 14. When kids feel free to be who they are, to not be a cog in the machine, I think this is a key part of resisting fascism.
Yes totally agree! Knowing they can challenge authority and having a degree of contrarianism is a huge part of unschooling and I think it’s also so useful in life! And hopefully it will serve them well if they find themselves in situations where they need to make up their own minds.
This is so well written and so important for the times we live in. I have always been interested the Reggio Emilia style of learning, so it's fascinating to learn about its anti-facist roots.
I also love where you stated "but I will always fall short of raising a child who is anti-fascist - not because I don’t hope my children will in fact speak up when they see injustice, but because I recognise I don’t get to decide who my children will be." Such an important approach to parentig. I feel like so many parents are trying to raise their children to have their exact beliefs / interests, whereas the truth is that our children are entirely their own people.
Thanks for reading! And yes we are def in a place where we’re trying to raise our children with particular ideologies and there are issues attached to that.
“I’ll raise my children in a home that engages with these ideas, but I will always fall short of raising a child who is anti-fascist - not because I don’t hope my children will in fact speak up when they see injustice, but because I recognise I don’t get to decide who my children will be. “
This part resonates so deeply and also is a hard thing about parenting that I’ve had to accept. But now I think I’m learning to embrace it. Rather than passing on philosophies or stances, I will try to pass on values (empathy, care, love, curiosity, adaptability, resilience…) and see what new philosophies they shape from these raw materials. it’s also exciting to know that not everything has been discovered yet, that history is still making and remaking itself, and there are new theoretical frameworks they may invent out of the fertile soil we tend.
Thank you for this historical, place and culture based analysis of Reggio Emilia. I have long wondered what’s up with these philosophies being co-opted by the wealthy intellectuals. It’s good to be reminded of its roots and to resist the commodification of ideas that should be for all.
I like your distinction between values and stances/ideology. It’s an important one! And it’s also true that we tend to believe that our current stance is the absolute right one when like you say, these things are always evolving and changing.
This was interesting to read, I've always admired Reggio Emilia but you're right that mostly the art/projects get taken as inspiration and not so much the democratic elements. Sounds similar to Playcentre in NZ, which was set up in the 1940s. Not every Playcentre is great at putting it into practice but in theory the children are supposed to be involved in decision making.
Yes! Some of the initial point def gets diluted and sometimes lost entirely! I don’t know about Playcentre, tell me more if you have a sec.
Playcentre is a parent run co-op childcare facility -- each one is a bit different as each community has different needs but generally they're open in the mornings and a parent or grandparent attends with their child/ren. Loads of play resources available, and parents will set up a few materials to be explored. There's discussion of what to set up based on previous sessions and what the children are asking for on the day. The play is child led and any boundaries are around safety, but there are sometimes adult directed activities (e.g. baking) which children can participate in if they want. It's mixed age from 0-6, some centres allow older homeschooled siblings, some don't. You talked a bit about the village in a post recently and I feel like Playcentre has been the closest to a parenting village I have found, as I've met and made friends with many local families. When someone has a baby we make them meals etc. There are certainly negatives to Playcentre (and again depends a lot on the specific communities) but I love the philosophy and the fact that it is affordable to everyone. (There is a small optional donation but it is truly optional, only for those who can afford it.) Of course with many families needing the parents to both work full time it means it is not accessible to everybody.
Sorry, this was very long! I could keep going for a long time, I haven't even touched on the free parent education that is offered through the centre. 😅
wow that sounds truly wonderful! thank you for sharing more. how amazing would it be to have more places like this, even for older children.
My kids went to a Reggio preschool and it was amazing. I wish it had gone through elementary school. A very special place.
Wow, thank you for writing this!
What a deeply informative, interesting and inspiring piece of writing. Thank you, Fran!
Loved reading this and thinking about the history piece of things, especially in terms of antifascist ways of being with young people. Thanks for this, Fran!
Thank you for reading!
I resonate deeply with so much of what you’ve shared here, Fran. I currently work at a Reggio-inspired early learning center in Colorado, USA, and previously spent many years at a similar center in Australia. I also see that only certain aspects of the Reggio approach translate meaningfully outside of Reggio Emilia itself, as it is so deeply embedded in the history and culture of that place.
When you say: "... its emphasis is on an on-going, equal dialogue between children, adults and environment which acts “as a process of transformation where you lose absolutely the possibility of controlling the final result.” I love this sentence so much because it is the opposite of our current system which explicitly aims to mould and shape children into future workers, and has very specific end goals." In the Reggio-inspired spaces I am part of, I am noticing that the children’s voices are still often missing. The environments remain largely adult-centered, with a strong focus on preparing children for elementary school and their future working lives. There is still a very strong message of adults know best.
You also write: "Reggio pedagogy, also establishes power dynamics between children and practitioners that are based on collaboration rather than top-down coercion, and that are inclusive rather than marginalising."
This crucial part is often missing. Sometimes it’s due to licensing requirements and regulations, which dictate that certain things must happen uniformly across all children and services. Other times, it’s because educators are expected to meet the needs of many different stakeholders within the same space, making true collaboration difficult to sustain.
It makes me think about how, in Australia, we don’t really have forests — we have the bush. While I was still living in Sydney, I had the opportunity to take part in a pilot course called Bush Connections. It was an effort to adapt some of the transferable elements of Forest School in a way that felt culturally appropriate for the Australian context.
It also makes me wonder: what would rights-respecting early learning services look like within an American culture and context?
I really appreciated your reflections on how we don't get to decide who our children are or who they will become — and that their paths may be entirely different from our own. It’s such an important reminder that the only person I can truly shape is myself, and that I need to lead by example - not just in my family, but in our community and my workplace. This is where I am finding all my thoughts lately.
Nollaig thanks for sharing your experience. It’s tough because as far as I can see, and similarly to Montessori, anyone can call themselves Reggio-inspired. And so it ends up perhaps diluting the original aim of the method? And also applying it indiscriminately to all places and people? I also wonder about a lot of Reggio settings not actually explicitly being sites of social justice - bc the Reggio project is and was absolutely a place where the whole community could gather and work together to make their lives more just. That said, I think Reggio, even in its original form, still lacks an understanding of power and adult dominance that we have as self-directed people/unschoolers. This is prob my biggest critique of Reggio - it calls itself democratic but it isn’t really entirely democratic because children are still not having a say in the running of the school, the structure of their day, etc. it’s democratic to the extent it teaches democracy but I feel deeply that you can’t teach things without also practicing them!
Yeah, I definitely don't feel that any of the Reggio inspired services I have worked at are/were sites of social justice. The one is Australia definitely worked at bringing in more First Nations voices and ways of being, but the one I currently work in feels completely void of social justice. So really the only parts of the pedagogy that are transferrable that I can see people incorporating has to do with having ample art materials, natural resources, aesthetically pleasing environments, emergent curriculum, and doing some project-based learning - all of which are great - but the heart of Reggio is definitely missing. Yes, teaching democracy without practicing is rather hollow for sure.
your thinking and reflecting always brings me such hope, Fran. Thank you for calling in this perspective and historical context as it relates to learning and education.
Bringing people hope is what I live for!!
Someone recently challenged me that my children might grow up to be conservatives, just as I moved away from my parents’ far right political views, swinging far left. That was a difficult challenge to consider, mostly because it feels like it’s become less a political difference and more a moral/ethical one. I guess all I can do is what another commenter said: pass on values. Teach them how to distinguish between accurate sources of information, to fact check everything, in an age where misinformation and AI is king.
Overall I think unschooling has the power to raise kids who think outside the capitalist system. My kids (unlike me) are unafraid to say “no” and to challenge authority. Respect is earned, not deserved because of position. I was raised in evangelical Christianity where obedience was king and it definitely supports fascism.
My oldest is unhurried to get her license or a job, and she has the freedom to not do those things right now. My second, on the other hand, is itching to get a job the second he turns 14. When kids feel free to be who they are, to not be a cog in the machine, I think this is a key part of resisting fascism.
Yes totally agree! Knowing they can challenge authority and having a degree of contrarianism is a huge part of unschooling and I think it’s also so useful in life! And hopefully it will serve them well if they find themselves in situations where they need to make up their own minds.
This is so well written and so important for the times we live in. I have always been interested the Reggio Emilia style of learning, so it's fascinating to learn about its anti-facist roots.
I also love where you stated "but I will always fall short of raising a child who is anti-fascist - not because I don’t hope my children will in fact speak up when they see injustice, but because I recognise I don’t get to decide who my children will be." Such an important approach to parentig. I feel like so many parents are trying to raise their children to have their exact beliefs / interests, whereas the truth is that our children are entirely their own people.
Thanks for reading! And yes we are def in a place where we’re trying to raise our children with particular ideologies and there are issues attached to that.
“I’ll raise my children in a home that engages with these ideas, but I will always fall short of raising a child who is anti-fascist - not because I don’t hope my children will in fact speak up when they see injustice, but because I recognise I don’t get to decide who my children will be. “
This part resonates so deeply and also is a hard thing about parenting that I’ve had to accept. But now I think I’m learning to embrace it. Rather than passing on philosophies or stances, I will try to pass on values (empathy, care, love, curiosity, adaptability, resilience…) and see what new philosophies they shape from these raw materials. it’s also exciting to know that not everything has been discovered yet, that history is still making and remaking itself, and there are new theoretical frameworks they may invent out of the fertile soil we tend.
Thank you for this historical, place and culture based analysis of Reggio Emilia. I have long wondered what’s up with these philosophies being co-opted by the wealthy intellectuals. It’s good to be reminded of its roots and to resist the commodification of ideas that should be for all.
I like your distinction between values and stances/ideology. It’s an important one! And it’s also true that we tend to believe that our current stance is the absolute right one when like you say, these things are always evolving and changing.