Comune di Reggio Emilia

The Municipality of Reggio Emilia established its network of educational services in 1963 by opening the first preschools; the infant-toddler centres have been added from 1970. In 2003 it set up a service management project called “Istituzione”, a specific body with pedagogical and administrative responsibility, its own financial budget and with members appointed by the Mayor. In 1994 it promoted the establishment of a public company, Reggio Children, to meet the numerous international demands. Since 2006 the Municipality has been promoting, along with Preschools and Infant-toddler Centres – Istituzione of the Municipality of Reggio Emilia and Reggio Children, the Loris Malaguzzi International Centre.

“At the beginning of the crisis we decided to make one thing clear to our city and we would like this to be shared and extended to many cities around the world. The decision is to put education at the top of our community’s priority strategies.

It is a strategic choice because it leads to the economic development of the community as well, not only to human development... This investment in knowledge shall be part of a reinterpretation of the entire space of the Loris Malaguzzi International Centre, which will be situated opposite another research centre and other places for research and innovation in order to allow scientific and humanistic knowledge to contaminate each other.

Once I asked Carla (Rinaldi) if it was possible to create a quality school under a large baobab - I was just back from a trip to Africa - because our goal would be to create a beautiful quality school under a large baobab.”

29 September 2011 - Graziano Delrio, Mayor of Reggio Emilia

“We could say that the schools of Reggio Emilia are “open communities” that put the Person at the centre in their most advanced and complete elaboration. [...] The Reggio Emilia Approach® is not only iabout infant-toddler centres and preschools. The Reggio Emilia Approach® is also the way how the city has been capable to put education first, in general and at all levels."

16 September 2019 - Luca Vecchi, Mayor of Reggio Emilia

Projects

Dakar Reve

The project aims to support the municipality of Dakar in the development of a response model to develop an intervention on the issues of waste management, sustainability of municipal services, support for the green economy.

OASI

The OASI project aims to redevelop the public green area of Bir Ouna in Palestine, through participatory and inclusive processes of local families, young people and schools.

Remida – The Creative Recycling Centre

The Remida Centre in Reggio Emilia is a project and a place where research is conducted on sustainability and creativity starting from industrial waste materials. The Centre is visited every year by more than 6,000 people like teachers, artists, students, administrators and interested people coming from all over the world.

P.A.C.E.

Within 3 years, the project P.A.C.E. aims to increase the quality of early childhood education systems in Palestine by promoting the activation of an integrated public-private system, the upgrading of school contexts and the opening of a creative reuse centre as a professional development place for teachers.

Particidade

The Particidade project supports the cooperation between the Municipalities of Reggio Emilia, Pemba and Maputo in Mozambique to design and implement educational proposals addressed to primary school children (aged 5-11 years) as part of a wider process of urban planning and regeneration and professional development.

Flags4Rights – 100 flags for rights

An open-air exhibition of 100 artworks created by children and young people from all over the world installed in the city centre of Reggio Emilia on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.