The Princess of Wales will visit Reggio Emilia on Wednesday 13th and Thursday 14th May, a significant next step for The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood as it expands internationally.
Spearheaded by The Princess, the visit focuses on early childhood development and is part of a high-level fact-finding mission exploring leading international approaches to supporting young children and those who care for them.
Building on the Centre’s Shaping Us Framework, launched in February 2025, the two days will examine how a shared understanding of social and emotional development connects with approaches in other countries prioritising the early years.
Her Royal Highness will spend time with educators, parents, children and civic and business leaders to see the Reggio Emilia Approach in action.
Since 2021, the Centre has brought together research, collaboration and practical action to drive long-term change in how society understands the early years. This visit signals the next phase of that work.
Our vision is a healthier, happier, more nurturing society, transformed by our collective approach to early childhood.
The Princess of Wales founded The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in 2021 after a decade of royal duties. During this time she saw first hand how some of today’s hardest social challenges, such as addiction, violence and homelessness – often underpinned by poor mental health – so often have their roots in the earliest years of life.
The science is now clear. The first five years of our lives – from pregnancy to the age of five – are absolutely fundamental to our future, both as individuals and as a society. We must recognise their importance and prioritise those earliest years to ensure future generations are equipped with the vital life skills they need to thrive.
However, we know from our annual public perceptions survey, that less than one in five people understand the specific importance of these early years.
And so, we are on a mission to increase awareness of, and action on, the extraordinary impact of early childhood – translating compelling scientific advances to change what we all think and do between pregnancy and five.
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