FINAL JDDK Millmount News Spring Edition 2024 DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 21
Spaces designed for children
Easy access to areas
for outdoor play
European inspiration
We were both very fortunate to be part of a group research
trip to Italy which allowed us to see the Reggio Emilia
approach 昀椀rst-hand. The approach is admired across
the world for the value it places on the care of children
outside of the home by maximising a child’s personal and
social development opportunities. Design considerations
prioritise creativity, interaction, and exploration, as well as
the overarching priority of child safety and protection, whilst
creating an environment that supports the best and ef昀椀cient
work by the staff.
The approach relates itself to the setting of an Italian town,
centred around a communal piazza where children of varying
ages can be together or in their own age groups, leading
to smaller and more private areas. This design approach
creates a strong sense of identity within the setting and
opens up varied socialisation opportunities.
We both agreed the trip solidi昀椀ed our fondness of the
approach, as we visited multiple early years centres living
and breathing its principles, and joined talks from specialists
who were leading the movement. The experience and
inspiration we came away with is evident in many of our early
years’ schemes, and as the values of the approach are just
as profound today, we’ll continue to incorporate its principles
as we design these settings in the future.
Spring 2024. Millmount. 21