Boston Area Reggio Inspired Network

Come find BARIN at the International Day of Play! We are on the Boston Common, Parkman Band Stand from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm. Let’s play!

For Boston-area Early Education Programs:
Strawberry Plant Give-Away
Every Child Outdoors is giving away strawberry plants through Wednesday!

Earliglow is one of our favorite varieties: delicious berries, vigorous growth via runners, and surprising resilience (they can even recover after rabbit browse). These bare-root plants reward gardeners with ripe strawberries by June 2027.

If you'd like some for your early childhood program, email [email protected] to arrange pick-up in Jamaica Plain. Available for pick-up through Wednesday while supplies last!

Fill out the BARIN Feedback Survey!

BARIN is collecting feedback from the community to help inform our work. We want to hear from you! Please take 5-10 min to fill out this survey by Friday, June 5. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSec7tIl8bUGiOwfPgDqrwIhhaQNAWc8738IK4g8-h4V_VAeow/viewform

You have the option to include your name and email in the survey if you would like to be entered into a draw for a FREE ticket to the NAREA Summer Conference in Winooski, Vermont on June 25-27. The conference is full, but we have one ticket to giveaway!

Job Opportunity: The Family Cooperative

Co-Teachers & Support Teachers, The Family Cooperative

The Family Cooperative, a Reggio-inspired program in Watertown, MA, seeks Classroom or Support Teachers to join our growing team of dedicated early childhood educators. Our school, made up of 5 classrooms (infant through preschool), focuses on supporting an emergent, child centered curriculum within a community (teachers, children, and families) of learners.

Open Positions:
● We are seeking both full(37.5 or 40 hrs/wk) and part time (18 - 30 hrs/wk) educators
● Positions begin on or before August 26th for school year 2026-2027 ○ Our teachers also have the option to join our 8 week summer program
● As TFC cares for infant, toddler, and preschool-aged children, we place educators with the age group, teaching teams, and positions that best fit their own strengths and interests.

Responsibilities: Classroom and Support Teachers alike are responsible for nurturing a caring and respectful environment for all children, families, and colleagues. Priorities include building meaningful relationships with all community members, creating and maintaining a playful learning environment based on observation and reflection on the children, collaboration with all faculty members, and regular communication with families about their child’s days at TFC. Classroom Teachers are additionally responsible for evaluating and documenting student growth and learning through monthly learning stories and growth letters (2x/year). It is essential that Classroom and Support Teachers communicate openly with each other and TFC leadership about individual children, long-term goals, and the daily needs of the classroom in order to be a part of a respectful and professional team.

Benefits: Upon employment, TFC offers a competitive salary with opportunities for additional pay, health insurance and dental coverage, a 401k plan with employer matching up to 2%, regular school closures as well as paid sick and personal days, flexible scheduling, and professional development support.

Skills & Experience:
● Teacher or Lead Teacher certification (I/T or P) from EEC ○ or the ability and desire to obtain certification with TFC support
● Ideally, at least 3 years of teaching experience in early childhood settings
● Understanding of and appreciation for emergent, play-based curriculum
● Familiarity or experience with observation, reflection, and documentation in assessing children’s development
● Commitment to anti-bias and anti-racist professional practices ● Comfort with taking children outdoors year-round in order to support outdoor education
● Ability to work collaboratively and individually
○ Active participation in both personal growth and the communal growth of TFC

To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, and contact information for 2-3 references to our co-directors, Caitlin Maddix and Kate Hudson, at [email protected]

The Family Cooperative prohibits discrimination against any applicant for employment because of race, color, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, disability, s*x, s*xual orientation, gender identity and expression, veteran status (special disabled veterans, disabled veterans, and Vietnam-era veterans), or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal or state law.

Join Us!
Why We Love Inquiry Groups

Register Here! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/why-we-love-inquiry-groups-tickets-1990174716150?aff=oddtdtcreator

Have you attended BARIN events?
Do you have ideas for future professional development?
Do you want a chance to win a ticket to the NAREA Conference in Vermont on June 25-27th?

Fill out the BARIN Feedback Survey!
Link in Bio: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSec7tIl8bUGiOwfPgDqrwIhhaQNAWc8738IK4g8-h4V_VAeow/viewform

BARIN is collecting feedback from the community to help inform our work. We want to hear from you! Please take 5-10 min to fill out this survey by Friday, June 5.

You have the option to include your name and email in the survey if you would like to be entered into a draw for a FREE ticket to the NAREA Summer Conference in Winooski, Vermont on June 25-27. The conference is full, but we have one ticket to giveaway!

Join us for a conversation with Hampshire College Early Learning Center.

Tuesday, June 9th, from 7:00 to 8:30 PM EST on Zoom

We will offer stories from our work, sharing how we integrated offering home visits, building relationships, and learning environments

After 45 amazing years, the Hampshire College Early Learning Center (ELC) will be closing on June 5th, following the College’s announcement of closure. Founded in 1981, the ELC has long been inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education.

As part of our closure process, we would like to share stories from our school with the BARIN community. Our presentation, “Curating Community & Spaces: Responsive Learning Environments, Shaped by the People in Them!” reflects on our work, relationships, and learning environment over the past year.

We will offer stories from our work with children, Infants to Preschoolers. We share how we integrated home visits, relationship-building, co-constructing space, and bringing reflection and intentionality.

Due to the College’s financial crisis, the ELC staff has been laid off without severance and on very short notice. In response, families have organized a GoFundMe to support them. This event is free to attend, and donations to the GoFundMe are welcome but not required. You can donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/elc-staff-bridge-fund

We look forward to sharing, reflecting, and connecting with you all.

In solidarity,

Ronit Ben-Shir, Director

REGISTER TO ATTEND HERE: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/curating-community-spaces-responsive-learning-environments-tickets-1989740694981?aff=oddtdtcreator

Scholarship and Mentoring Opportunity:

100 Languages of Children Access Program Branches Atelier Scholarship Application – 2026

Now more than ever, children need opportunities to find and use their voices. In this moment, we are reminded of the power of self-expression, the kind that transforms, connects, and surprises.

Loris Malaguzzi, the visionary behind the Reggio Emilia approach, referred to paints, pencils, clay, light, movement, and more as “the hundred languages of children.” These materials are not just tools, but essential means through which children communicate their thoughts, emotions, and theories about the world.

At Branches Atelier, we believe it is our responsibility as educators to nurture these diverse forms of expression. We must commit to creating spaces where children’s voices—through gesture, sound, sculpture, paint, wire, story, and play—are honored, heard, and explored. This work requires educators with open hearts and minds and a deep passion for listening, collaboration, and making meaning with children.

With this vision in mind, we are proud to offer the 100 Languages Access Program for ECE Educators—a scholarship and mentoring opportunity for early childhood educators who are seeking to deepen their understanding of the 100 Languages. This professional development and mentorship program supports ECE educators in exploring how children make their ideas visible and how we, as adults, can become better partners in that journey. Come and Join Patricia Hunter McGrath, Christina Bianchi and our Branches teachers as we take a deep dive into The 100 Languages of Children.

Reggio Inspirations a source for Reggio inspired growth

What an exciting moment of exchange and connection!