North American Reggio Emilia Alliance (NAREA) - 2025 Conference
Since 2005, NAREA has partnered with Reggio Children to bring the voices and experiences of Reggio Emilia educators to North America. We value the opportunity for North American educators to engage directly with a variety of persons from Reggio Emilia. Our in-person conferences engage community hosts and include small group discussions, atelier experiences, and visits to Reggio-inspired schools for young children. At the start of 2022, NAREA has organized 40 conferences in 22 communities throughout the US and Canada. Conferences and exhibitions have seen the participation of 300,000 educators and advocates.
Many of our Educators and Leads attended their Winter conference, which was held from March 20-22, 2025 here in Hamilton. Below is our documentation which highlights the rich learning, and valuable insights we have taken away from this opportunity.
March 20, 2025 - NAREA Winter Conference
March 20, 2025, is the first day of spring, the spring equinox. It is a new beginning, with sunshine ahead and new growth. We leave behind the darkness and cold, focusing on what will be. Today is also the first day of the NAREA Conference, a day full of growth in our journey into the Reggio Emilia Approach.
Hamilton has the honour of hosting the 16th NAREA Winter Conference. NAREA - The North American Reggio Emilia Alliance is a network of educators, parents, and advocates seeking to elevate both the quality of life and the quality of schools and centres for young children. Their mission is to build a diverse community of advocates and educators to promote and defend the rights of children, families, and teachers of all cultures through a collaboration inspired by Reggio Emilia, Italy. NAREA envisions a world where all children are honoured and respected for their potential, capabilities, and humanity.
The topic of this year’s conference is 'Children and Adults Researching in the Daily Life.' This topic is supported by the 'Boardercrossing' Exhibition - Atelier that has travelled to Hamilton all the way from Reggio Emelia, Italy.
The exhibition-Atelier is a collection of the research done between digital and nature in Reggio Emilia’s infant-toddler centres and preschools. The guest speakers of the conference were present and helped conduct the research showcased; Pedagogist Moira Nicolosi and Atelierista, Marco Spaggiari who have joined us from Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Hamilton Wentworth Catholic Child Care Centres values our educator's growth and learning. As a commitment to that value, our organization is supporting more than twenty educators, leads and directors in attending the NAREA conference. We will continue to post and share our journey in the days to come...
March 21, 2025 Hamilton, Ontario – A Great Place to Raise a Child
As we explore and reflect on the Reggio Emilia approach over the past two days, we find ourselves considering how we can learn from and adapt these philosophies within our own context.
This conference has brought together educators and advocates from across North America. Our wonderful city is hosting groups from New York City, Boston, New Jersey, and even as far as Bermuda.
Through our journey, we have come to understand that the magic of Reggio is deeply rooted in its own city. Our focus now is on how we can take these insights and create our own magic here in Hamilton.
This morning, Margie Cooper, the standing chair of NAREA, welcomed us with a thought-provoking message:
"History is what we make of it." – Edward R. Murrow
"History isn't done to us; it's done through us." – Margie Cooper
The history of our city will be shaped by the value we collectively place on the early years of childhood. How does Hamilton value and cherish these incredibly formative years? And how will that define our city's future?
Our Final Day at the NAREA Conference
We gathered for the last time at Carmen's Banquet Hall to listen and reflect together as Marco and Moira continued to share their work and history with the children and adults at the Reggio Emilia Child Care Centres.
We continued our rich dialogue, discussing our image of the child, the languages children use for expression, the value of research with children, and how projects can help guide our learning. The content covered during these three days has been so deep and complex that I know our group of educators will be unpacking these concepts for weeks and months to come.
HWCCCC remains inspired by the work and philosophies of Reggio Emilia Children; however, it is never our goal to recreate what we see. Our goal is to interpret their work and embed what resonates with us into our own centres, our own community, and our own city.
For the afternoon portion of our last day, all of the conference participants had the opportunity to tour four different locations throughout our city. One option is to visit the Bordercrossing Exhibition - Atelier, which has traveled here from Reggio Emilia, showcasing the work we’ve been discussing this week. Another option is the ASCY Materials Collaborative Studio. This space was established for educators and Early Childhood Leaders in Hamilton. The studio is used for educator research and provides opportunities for hands-on professional learning. HWCCCC is honoured to be hosting the other two tour locations: we have opened the doors to our St. Matthews Early Learning and Care Centre, as well as our newest childcare addition, Village Treehouse.
The chosen locations showcase a wonderful convergence of educator/adult learning opportunities—such as NAREA, Bordercrossings, and the ASCY Materials Collaborative Studio—and how these have impacted our practices. We believe this impact is made visible in our centers and through the work we do with the children in our care. We are honored to share that work with our community and with all of the conference participants who have traveled to our wonderful city.
A true testament to HWCCCC’s value of educators as lifelong learners, our organization was awarded two complimentary passes to future NAREA conferences. HWCCCC was selected because we had sent the largest number of people to this year's conference.
Thank you to NAREA for recognizing our organization’s commitment to this work and for your dedication to the rights of children in North America.
Thank you to ASCY for bringing this network and experience to our city.
Thank you to Marco and Moira for traveling from Reggio Emilia to share your work, perspectives, and experiences.
And thank you to HWCCCC and the powerful group of Educators, Leads, and Directors who attended this conference. We have wonderful work ahead of us.
"Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success." – Henry Ford
