Reggio Emilia Institute – A practical development institute

What does the Reggio Emilia Institute do?

January 27, 2023

Since 1993, the Reggio Emilia Institute has been a meeting place for anyone interested in exploring and promoting the opportunities and rights of children and young people. The Reggio Emilia Institute seeks to connect different skills and activities based on the idea of cooperative learning through collective experimentation. This is a form of learning that is constantly evolving, based on exploration and participation in dialogue at local, national, and international levels.

  • The Reggio Emilia Institute aims to inspire and develop Swedish preschools and schools, highlighting the rights and assets of all children.
  • The Reggio Emilia Institute coordinates and collaborates with many networks: Swedish, Nordic, and international, such as Reggio Children and the La Fondazione Reggio Children-Loris Malaguzzi foundation.
  • The Reggio Emilia Institute is a practical development institute that runs a number of development projects.
  • The Reggio Emilia Institute offers lectures, seminars, courses, and conferences in many locations in Sweden and also in Reggio Emilia, Italy.
  • The Reggio Emilia Institute offers several year-long training programs for atelieristas, pedagogistas, and educators.
  • The Reggio Emilia Institute develops new materials and books and markets those produced by others.
  • The Reggio Emilia Institute publishes its own magazine, Modern Barndom, which comes out four times a year.
  • The Reggio Emilia Institute offers tailor-made training courses for entire municipalities, preschools, and schools, as well as guidance.
  • The Reggio Emilia Institute has extensive international contacts, including with Reggio Emilia in Italy.

History

Sweden is the country in the world that has the most exchange with the preschools in Reggio Emilia. The Reggio Emilia Institute was founded in 1993, following the two major exhibitions "A Child Has a Hundred Languages" and "More About the Hundred Languages" at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm. The aim of the institute was to stimulate discussion on educational issues by seeking to deepen knowledge of the educational philosophy of the municipal preschools in Reggio Emilia and to inspire Swedish educators to engage in similar work within the Swedish preschool tradition. At the request of the Reggio Emilia Institute, a Swedish network was also formed so that many people could meet and discuss, something that has now grown into many local and regional networks. The Reggio Emilia Institute's collaboration with educators in the school world is also developing and deepening. Over the years, the institute's activities have grown significantly and today consist of both an association and a limited company.

At the request of the Reggio Emilia Institute, a Swedish network was also formed early in the Institute's history to serve as a meeting place for discussions about Reggio Emilia inspiration. It has now grown into many local and regional networks in Sweden and the Nordic countries.

The Institute's development projects

Since its inception, the Reggio Emilia Institute has run major practice-developing projects.

The very first, "Pedagogy in a Changing World," which began in 1993, was a close collaboration with the Stockholm University College of Education and the Stockholm district of Skarpnäck.

Since then, the Institute has run many multi-year projects, such as "The Magic Language" (which led to a major research project on children and language at Stockholm University), "Tomorrow's Preschool" (which focused specifically on the importance of the environment), The Intercultural Project (the Institute's first collaborative project with Reggio Emilia and several Swedish preschools), as well as several school projects (including how to make school work more meaningful), The Light Project (an investigation of the scientific phenomenon and concept of light), and an in-depth preschool project (to deepen preschool practice based on the revised curriculum and the hundred languages).

Here "is" the Reggio Emilia Institute 

In recent years, the Reggio Emilia Institute has conducted activities in the following locations:

In Sweden: Alvesta, Angered, Bergsjön, Boden, Borås, Botkyrka, Bromma, Danderyd, Ekerö, Emmaboda, Falkenberg, Farsta, Finspång, Grums, Gävle, Gothenburg, Halmstad, Hedemora, Helsingborg, Hjärup, Hudiksvall, Huddinge, Härnösand, Hässelby, Höganäs, Järfälla, Kalmar, Karlskrona, Karlstad, Katrineholm, Kinna, Kiruna, Kista, Klippan, Kristianstad, Kristinehamn, Laholm, Lidingö, Lidköping, Linköping, Luleå, Lund, Malmö, Mariestad, Mark, Markaryd, Motala, Märsta, Mölndal, Nacka, Norberg, Norrköping, Norrtälje, Nynäshamn, Saltsjöbaden, Sigtuna, Sjöbo, Skövde, Solna, Staffanstorp, Stockholm, Strängnäs, Strömstad, Sundsvall, Säffle, Söderhamn, Södertälje, Tanum, Trångsund, Uddevalla, Umeå, Upplands Väsby, Uppsala, Ulricehamn, Varberg, Vaxholm, Vällingby, Västerås, Växjö, Åre, Åtvidaberg, Älvsjö, Ängelholm, Öckerö, Ödeshög, Örebro, and Östersund

In Denmark: Lyngby and Søborg

In Norway: Aukra, Frosta, Hundvåg, Levanger, Lillehammer, Oslo, Porsgrunn, Skaun, Stavanger, Steinkjer, Stjørdal, Trondheim, Tøsnberg, Ås, Vikhammer

In Italy: Reggio Emilia