Nido Early School joins 2023 Reggio Emilia Study tour

Members of the Nido Early School team recently joined 406 participants from 27 countries on the 2023 Reggio Emilia Study Tour in Italy.  

Reggio Emilia is a city in northern Italy known globally to early childhood educators for its progressive approach to education. The study tour program offered participants the opportunity to immerse themselves in the rich culture of Reggio Emilia and to learn more about how the educational philosophy is brought to life in practice.

Nido Early School hopes that the knowledge shared by the study tour participants will bring fresh ideas to draw on across all Nido Early Schools. 

“At the heart of it all is the shared goal to enable children to access a joyful educational experience – something that all Nido educators believe is critical to creating fulfilling early childhood education,” a Nido spokesperson said.

For participant Rachel Betts, the tour was “an incredible opportunity to connect with passionate and like-minded professionals from around the world, and engage in critical thinking about early childhood education.” 

“It’s safe to say that, at that moment, the rest of the world just melted away,” fellow participant Louise Munro added. 

Each member of the tour, participant Chelsea Haber said, was moved by witnessing the deep and genuine respect for children’s capabilities that were honoured in the infant-toddler centres and preschools of Reggio Emilia. 

“We know how privileged we are to have so many passionate and dedicated educators and employees at Nido and we can’t wait to share our adventure with all of them,” she added. 

One interaction that stands out for Ms Haber since returning to Australia is an exchange between a Nido teacher and a family who was coming to tour the early school.

“When the family arrived with their child and toured the open-plan spaces, the mother turned to the teacher and said: ‘my child has special needs and I don’t feel that they are ready for your school’. The teacher responded: ‘It is not your child’s responsibility to be ready for our school, but our school’s responsibility to be ready for your child’,” she shared.

This interaction shows that the lessons learnt on the study tour are already being embedded, and that the philosophy of Reggio is being deeply embedded across the network. 

“It is our responsibility to keep our eyes high. To see beyond the foreground and to work together to create high quality education for all children,” Ms Haber added. 

Learn more about Nido Early School here.