The social construction of the child has gained increasing attention in recent years: the idea that our image or understanding of the child is socially constructed within particular contexts and, further, that these constructions shape policies, provisions and practices. However, the attention paid to this idea has varied. It is important in some fields, for example the sociology of childhood, but rarely acknowledged in others, including policymaking. Social constructions are always present and influential, but in policymaking, they are usually implicit, and therefore not discussed.
One striking exception is the Italian city of Reggio Emilia, famous for its network of early childhood centres. Decades of pedagogical thought and practice have grown from asking the critical 'social constructionist' question: what is our image of the child? By using Reggio, the present brief does not intend to advocate their particular answer; it recognises that many images are possible. It aims to offer an example of the potential of making explicit the social construction of the child, and to discuss its implications and challenges for the development of policy and provision.
Reggio's answer to their question was what Loris Malaguzzi, the first head of the city's early childhood centres, called the 'rich' child. But not 'rich' materially. Rather 'rich in potential, strong, powerful, competent and, most of all, connected to adults and other children'.
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