Loris Malaguzzi

Loris Malaguzzi (1920–1994) is one of the most prominent figures to have emerged from the Reggio Emilia area, and the man who gave the world an educational model that has become a symbol of the city: the famous Reggio Emilia Approach^©, a pedagogical approach recognised worldwide for its innovation and profound humanity.

Born in Correggio February 23, 1920, Malaguzzi spent his youth in Reggio Emilia, where he attended the Teacher Training College and graduated in pedagogy from the University of Urbino in 1946.
From the early years of his career, he worked in primary and secondary schools in the city and its province, experiences that shaped his educational outlook and his view of children as curious and creative individuals.

In 1951, as a psychologist, he was one of the founders of the Municipal Psycho-Pedagogical Medical Centre in Reggio Emilia, where he worked for almost twenty years.
The Centre, aimed at children and young people ‘with disabilities and learning difficulties’, became a special setting in which to test and develop his ideas on education.
A small school was opened within the Centre, which also took in young people who would otherwise have been sent to the San Lazzaro asylum. The school became a sort of experimental workshop, with a particular focus on motor skills and expressive languages. From 1963 onwards, he worked with the local authorities to open the first municipal nursery schools and kindergartens, putting into practice a child-centred approach to education in which children are supported by educators, families and the environment itself, regarded as a ‘third teacher’.
It was in Reggio Emilia, in fact, that the ‘hundred languages of children’ were born, a concept expressing every child’s right to explore, express themselves and learn through a multitude of ways.
Loris Malaguzzi died January 30, 1994.

The Loris Malaguzzi International Centre, opened in 2006 in Viale Ramazzini, is now a hub for meetings and research where visitors from all over the world can explore the educational philosophy and experience that have made the city famous.

Walking through Reggio Emilia, one senses the deep bond between Malaguzzi and the city: here, school becomes a space for dialogue, creativity and community, and the streets of the city tell an educational story that has changed the way the world views childhood.