The Italians are very open and willing to share their journey and you can not help but be in awe at the respect and value they place on all children. For them, the Image of the Child is reflected throughout every day life both in the Infant Toddler Centres and Preschools as well as in the Reggio Community at large.

As the New Zealand representative for the Reggio Children Network, I have been given the role of organizing and leading Study Tours to Reggio Emilia and have been doing so since 1998.

It is truly a wonderful experience, with all participants arriving with a host of questions and often leaving with more. The Italians are very open and willing to share their journey and you can not help but be in awe at the respect and value they place on all children. For them, the Image of the Child is reflected throughout every day life both in the Infant Toddler Centres and Preschools as well as in the Reggio Community at large.

There is always something to be discovered, something to challenge your thinking, something to be emotional about, as you weave your way through a week of encounters, provocations and dialogues.

A typical Study Tour programme runs from a Sunday encounter with the town of Reggio Emilia, led by the Friends of Reggio Children, to a wonderful farewell dinner in perhaps one of the many beautiful and historical settings, five days later. There is always an  element of surprise as the week unfolds with a mixture of presentations to provoke your thinking and challenge your practice, visits to the Infant & Toddler Centres and Preschools as well as the REIMDA Centre which is full of recycled resources.

If you are interested to find out more about next years tour, please feel free to email me at:-
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