What Is Reggio Emilia? A Complete Guide for Parents

If you've been researching preschools in Los Angeles, you've almost certainly come across the term "Reggio Emilia." It shows up on websites, in parent Facebook groups, and in hushed conversations at the park. But what does it actually mean — and why does it matter for your child?

Where It Came From

Reggio Emilia is a small city in northern Italy. After World War II, parents there — many of them farmers who had seen what happens when children are raised to follow without questioning — decided to build a different kind of school. They wanted children who could think, who could collaborate, who could solve problems they'd never seen before.

Loris Malaguzzi, a young teacher and psychologist, joined them. Over the next five decades, he and the community developed an approach that is now studied and replicated in more than 50 countries. Harvard's Project Zero has called it one of the best early childhood programs in the world.

The Core Idea: Children Are Capable

Traditional preschool treats children as empty vessels — the teacher has knowledge, pours it in, and checks that it stays. Reggio Emilia starts from a completely different premise: children are already researchers. They arrive curious, with theories about how the world works, with questions they are desperate to investigate.

The teacher's job is not to transmit knowledge but to provoke deeper inquiry — to ask the question that sends the child further, to document what the child discovers, and to design an environment that makes investigation irresistible.

The "Hundred Languages" of Children

Malaguzzi wrote a famous poem called The Hundred Languages of Children. His point: children express what they know and feel through far more than words. Through clay. Through paint. Through music, movement, building, shadow play. Reggio classrooms are rich with materials — not because art is nice to have, but because making something forces a child to clarify their thinking.

When a four-year-old builds a ramp for a marble and it doesn't work, she doesn't just learn about angles. She learns that hypotheses can be tested, that failure is information, and that persistence pays off. Those lessons last a lifetime. The worksheet she might have done instead doesn't.

The Environment as the Third Teacher

Reggio educators talk about three teachers: the child's own peers, the adults in the room, and the environment itself. A well-designed Reggio space is not just pleasant to look at — it is intentionally provocative. Natural light. Mirrors at child height. Loose parts (shells, pinecones, glass beads) arranged in open trays. A working garden. A studio with real art materials.

The message the space sends to a child: your curiosity is welcome here. You are trusted with beautiful things. Your work matters.

How It Differs from Montessori

Parents often ask: what's the difference between Reggio and Montessori? Both respect children's agency and avoid rigid direct instruction. The differences are real:

• Montessori has a defined sequence of materials and skills children work through more or less independently. The curriculum is structured — children choose their work within clear parameters.
• Reggio Emilia follows the children's interests — the curriculum emerges from what the children are curious about. Projects (called "progettazione") can last days or weeks. The classroom co-investigates together.

Neither is better. They're different. Reggio tends to suit children who are intensely collaborative and love open-ended creative investigation. Montessori often suits children who thrive with more independent, self-directed work and a clearly defined progression.

What Reggio Looks Like at Growing Garden

At Growing Garden, Reggio Emilia isn't a marketing label — it shapes every part of the day. Our 1:6 teacher-to-child ratio gives teachers the space to actually observe and document each child's thinking. Our indoor-outdoor studio has materials for painting, building, sensory play, and gardening — a real working garden where children grow and cook food.

Projects emerge from what children bring to the room. When one child became fascinated by spiders, the whole class spent three weeks investigating webs — drawing them, building them, researching why they hold water. By the end, these four-year-olds understood tensile strength better than most adults.

Is Reggio Right for Your Child?

A Reggio environment works especially well for children who:

• Learn by doing rather than listening
• Have strong opinions and prefer to investigate their own questions
• Thrive in collaborative, social settings
• Love art, building, nature, or storytelling

It also works especially well for parents who trust the process — who can resist the urge to ask "what did you learn today?" and instead ask "what did you wonder about today?"

The best way to understand if it's right for your family is to visit. Come during program hours. Watch the children. Feel the room. Trust what you see.