The Reggio Emilia Approach

Inspired by the schools of Loris Malaguzzi in Reggio Emilia, the Reggio Emilia approach views children as capable, competent, curious, and full of potential. This philosophy values children as active participants in their own learning, with experiences driven by their interests, questions, ideas, and natural sense of wonder. While the Reggio Emilia approach is deeply rooted in Italian culture and community, we thoughtfully incorporate many of its guiding principles into the way we support children, design learning experiences, and build relationships within our program at Lil’ Ones Early Care & Education.

Unlike traditional teacher-directed models, our child-led approach values the interests and voices of children as the foundation for meaningful learning. Loris Malaguzzi believed children express themselves through “a hundred languages,” meaning children communicate, learn, and make sense of the world in many different ways through art, play, movement, conversation, music, construction, storytelling, exploration, and creativity. By providing opportunities for children to explore, create, collaborate, and engage in hands-on experiences, we support creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, self-expression, and a strong sense of agency while empowering children to take an active role in their learning journey.

At Lil’ Ones Early Care & Education, we recognize the environment as the “third teacher.” Our spaces are intentionally designed to feel warm, welcoming, and reflective of the children, families, and learning taking place within them. Through thoughtfully prepared environments, open-ended materials, natural elements, and meaningful invitations to learn, we strive to foster creativity, independence, collaboration, and a strong sense of belonging and community. We believe children thrive in environments where they feel respected, safe, valued, connected, and empowered to express themselves freely.

As a Reggio-inspired program, we place great importance on relationships, collaboration, and community. We believe learning happens most meaningfully when children, educators, and families work together in partnership. Our educators actively engage alongside children as co-learners, guides, and observers, carefully listening to children’s ideas and supporting their learning through meaningful interactions and experiences. Through respectful relationships and strong family partnerships, we strive to create a learning community where every child feels seen, heard, valued, and empowered to explore, discover, and grow.