Montessori vs Reggio Emilia: A Plain-Language Guide for Parents

The distinction in one sentence

Montessori gives children a structured framework to explore independently. Reggio Emilia gives children open space to explore collaboratively, with their curiosity setting the direction.

When you start researching long day care centres across Melbourne suburbs, these two educational philosophies come up again and again. Centres list them on their websites, educators mention them on tours, and other parents debate them in Facebook groups. But what do they actually mean for your child's day?

The short answer: both are child-led, play-based approaches that reject rote learning and rigid instruction. Both originated in Italy, both treat children as capable and curious, and both produce environments that look and feel very different from a traditional classroom. But the way they get there differs significantly — and those differences matter when you are choosing a centre.

Where both philosophies come from

Understanding the origins helps make sense of why each approach works the way it does.

Montessori was developed by Dr Maria Montessori, an Italian physician and educator who opened her first school in Rome in 1907. Working with children in an underprivileged community, she noticed they were absorbing knowledge from their surroundings and essentially teaching themselves when given the right environment. From that observation, she built a complete educational system grounded in independence, self-discipline, and mastery of practical and academic skills through carefully designed materials. Montessori education now spans infancy through to adolescence, making it one of the most widely implemented alternative education models in the world.

Reggio Emilia emerged after World War II in the northern Italian town of the same name. Educator Loris Malaguzzi (1920–1994) worked alongside local families to build a new kind of early childhood education — one rooted in community, relationships, and the belief that children express their understanding in many different ways. Malaguzzi described this as “the hundred languages of children,” a metaphor for the infinite ways children communicate through drawing, movement, building, storytelling, and play. Reggio Emilia is not a formal, accredited system like Montessori. It is a philosophy, and centres describe themselves as “Reggio Emilia-inspired” rather than certified.

What both share: they treat children as capable, competent learners; reject direct instruction and standardised testing; emphasise intentional, carefully designed environments; value documentation of children's learning over formal assessment; and encourage family involvement in the educational community.

The core differences, explained simply

The clearest way to understand the difference is through the lens of structure. In a Montessori long day care, the environment is prepared in advance by the educator. There are defined learning areas, specific materials for each developmental stage, and a clear sequence to how children progress through activities. Children choose from within that prepared framework, but the framework itself is deliberate and consistent.

In a Reggio Emilia-inspired centre, the curriculum is emergent. It grows from what children are currently interested in. If a group of three-year-olds becomes fascinated with insects after finding a beetle in the garden, the educators build a project around that fascination, incorporating drawing, observation, storytelling, and construction. The direction of learning is not predetermined — it follows the children.

On independence versus collaboration: in Montessori settings, the child is the primary unit. Work is largely individual. Children move through activities at their own pace, develop deep concentration, and learn self-management. Older children mentor younger ones in mixed-age classrooms, but the emphasis is on each child's personal learning journey. In Reggio Emilia settings, learning is fundamentally social. Children work in small groups, share ideas, debate, and build understanding together. The relationship between children, educators, families, and the broader environment is seen as central to how knowledge is constructed.

Other key differences: Montessori uses purpose-designed, self-correcting materials; Reggio Emilia uses open-ended loose parts, natural objects, and art materials. Montessori groups children across mixed-age spans of roughly three years; Reggio Emilia groups children by age. Montessori educators require formal accreditation through a recognised body such as the Association Montessori Internationale; Reggio Emilia educators do not — there is no formal certification body in Australia. This makes implementation quality more variable across Reggio-inspired centres.

What a typical day looks like: Montessori

The defining feature of a Montessori day is the uninterrupted work period. Ideally running for around three hours in the morning, this block of time allows children to choose activities from the prepared environment and work on them without interruption. There are no bells, no forced transitions, no group instruction pulling them away mid-task.

A typical Montessori long day care day: children arrive and transition independently into the environment, choosing their first activity. The uninterrupted work period follows — children move freely between learning areas covering practical life (pouring, sorting, buttoning), sensorial materials, early numeracy, language, and cultural activities. Morning tea is often self-serve; children prepare and clean up their own snack as part of the practical life curriculum. Outdoor time, lunch (again with children participating in set-up and pack-away), rest or quiet activity for young children, then a shorter afternoon work period before families collect.

The educator's role throughout is largely observational. They watch, they note, they step in only when a child needs a gentle introduction to a new material or is stuck. The classroom runs itself.

What a typical day looks like: Reggio Emilia

A Reggio Emilia day is less predictable by design. The structure exists, but it bends around whatever the children are currently exploring.

A typical Reggio Emilia-inspired day: children and educators come together for a morning gathering to share ideas, revisit yesterday's project, or encounter a new provocation — an object, image, or question designed to spark curiosity. Small groups then work on an ongoing investigation; this might run for a week or for months. Educators document the process through photos, notes, and children's drawings displayed on the walls. Morning tea and outdoor play follow, relaxed and social. Creative exploration — art, construction, music, storytelling, movement — connects to the current inquiry. Lunch is communal. Rest or quiet time for younger children. Open-ended afternoon play and reflection before families arrive.

The walls of a Reggio Emilia centre tell you what has been happening. Documentation panels, children's artwork, photographs of the learning process, and written observations from educators are displayed throughout the space. The environment is described as “the third teacher” — as central to learning as the educators themselves.

How the philosophy shapes the centre you visit

Walk into a Montessori long day care and you will notice order. Materials are arranged neatly on low shelves, accessible to children. Each item has a designated spot. The room is calm and uncluttered. There are individual work mats on the floor. Everything in the space has a specific developmental purpose.

Walk into a Reggio Emilia-inspired centre and you will notice richness. The walls are covered with children's work, photographs, and documentation. Materials are varied and often unexpected: mirrors, natural objects, loose parts, light tables, clay. The space feels alive with evidence of ongoing inquiry. Furniture is arranged for small-group collaboration rather than individual stations.

On educator qualifications: this is a meaningful practical difference. Montessori educators are required to hold formal Montessori accreditation, typically through recognised bodies such as the Association Montessori Internationale. This training is specific, rigorous, and separate from standard early childhood qualifications. Reggio Emilia educators do not require specialist certification beyond their standard early childhood education qualifications. Centres that follow the Reggio approach do so through professional development, study tours, and a shared commitment to the philosophy — but there is no formal Reggio Emilia accreditation body in Australia. The quality of implementation varies considerably between centres.

On age grouping: in a Montessori long day care, children are grouped across a three-year age range. A room might include children aged two-and-a-half to six. Younger children learn by watching older peers; older children reinforce their own understanding by mentoring younger ones. The same educator may work with your child for several years. In Reggio Emilia-inspired centres, children are grouped by age, moving through year-based groups as they would in a more conventional setting.

Which approach might suit your child

Neither approach is objectively better. Both produce children who are curious, confident, and capable. The question is which environment is the better fit for your child's temperament and your family's values.

Montessori may be a stronger fit if your child thrives with predictability and clear boundaries; you value individual mastery and a sequential approach to skill-building; your child is highly independent and prefers working alone or in small, self-directed groups; or you want a consistent, accredited framework with a clear developmental sequence.

Reggio Emilia may be a stronger fit if your child is naturally social and learns best through conversation and collaboration; you value creativity, artistic expression, and open-ended exploration; you want to be actively involved in your child's learning community; or your child is driven by curiosity and benefits from following their own interests in depth.

One honest caveat worth noting: many Australian long day care centres describe themselves as “Reggio Emilia-inspired” without deeply implementing the philosophy. When you tour a centre, look beyond the language on the website. Ask to see documentation panels. Ask how the current project started and where it is heading. Ask what training educators have completed in the approach. The answers will tell you more than the brochure.

For Montessori, the accreditation requirement provides a clearer baseline, but implementation still varies. Ask whether educators hold Montessori certification, and check that the materials in the room are genuine Montessori materials rather than general play resources relabelled with Montessori terminology.

Questions to ask on your centre tour

Whether a centre is Montessori, Reggio Emilia-inspired, or something else entirely, the philosophy should be visible in the room and audible in how educators talk about their work.

For Montessori centres: Do educators hold Montessori certification, and through which organisation? How long is the uninterrupted work period each day? How are materials selected and sequenced for different age groups? How do you support children who resist independent work?

For Reggio Emilia-inspired centres: Can you walk me through a current project? How did it begin? How do educators document children's learning, and how is that shared with families? What does the provocation process look like here? How are parents invited to contribute to the programme?

For any centre claiming either philosophy: How does your approach align with the Early Years Learning Framework, which all Australian long day care centres are required to follow? What professional development have educators completed in this approach? How does the philosophy shape what a typical Tuesday looks like for my child?

The Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) sets the National Quality Standard that all long day care centres must meet, regardless of their educational philosophy. A centre's NQS rating reflects how well it is implementing quality care and education across seven quality areas. You can read more about how NQS ratings work, or see how we use them alongside fees and parent reviews in our childcare centre selection guide. A strong NQS rating combined with a well-implemented philosophy is the combination worth seeking out.

Further reading

The following sources were used in preparing this guide.

Montessori: Association Montessori Internationale (montessori-ami.org) — the international body founded by Maria Montessori herself; Georgetown University Early Childhood Intervention Professional Development Center: “Italian Early Childhood Education Approaches: Montessori and Reggio Emilia” (learningei.georgetown.edu) — an academic overview of both approaches with comparative analysis.

Reggio Emilia: Reggio Children (reggiochildren.it) — the organisation based in Reggio Emilia, Italy, that supports and promotes the approach internationally. The primary source for understanding the philosophy as it was originally conceived.

Australia: ACECQA Belonging, Being and Becoming — Early Years Learning Framework V2.0 (acecqa.gov.au) — Australia's current approved learning framework for early childhood education, updated 2022, mandatory from February 2024. The original V1.0 has been revoked. All long day care programmes are required to use V2.0.

Starting Blocks (startingblocks.gov.au) — the Australian Government's official tool for searching and comparing long day care centres, including NQS ratings and fees.

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