DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM WITH PHONE OR TABLET into practice Olds’s early emphasis on child-specific environments. They have gotten significant traction advocating for investment in purpose-built early childhood facilities as a quality improvement strategy for the public and community investment agenda in the state of Massachusetts. This work is a model we should all be attentive to and learn from. Jim Greenman was the first colleague we encountered who consis- tently used the term “places for childhood” as a mandate for early learning environments. His initial book, Caring Spaces, Learning Places, is an exem- plary resource in both conceptual and practical terms. Before we wrote the first edition of Designs for Living and Learning, Greenman’s book was the primary reference point for the college courses we taught and the consult- ing we did. His handbook for infant and toddler programming, Prime Times, now in its second edition and coauthored with Anne Stonehouse and Gigi Schweikert, will also continue to have a long-lasting impact. Greenman was involved in the design of many fine early childhood build- ings and playgrounds. The schools and educators of Reggio Emilia have had a profound influence on us as authors and across our wider profession, helping us rethink what we are doing for children. They have challenged us to reex- amine every inch of our environments for the messages being conveyed. By reminding us that it is not only the needs of children we should be considering, but the rights of children, these Italian educators have helped us transform our starting place when thinking about spaces for children. Their hard, hard work of building a dream out of the ashes of a war-torn country emerging from fascism should humble professionals in this country when we are tempted to offer excuses for our lack of will in fac- ing down budget and policy limitations or litigation-driven constraints. The pioneers of Reggio Emilia were sharp-sighted in understanding the real meaning of homeland security, and they pressed forward with a vision that has given early childhood educators around the world a living model to visit and learn from. Because of their generosity of time, spirit, and resources, many programs in North America and across the globe are redesigning their environments and programs with inspiration from Reggio Emilia. They, too, are modern-day pioneers, and visiting some of these programs has influenced our thinking and made contributions to examples offered in this book. Over the last decade, Margie has had the good fortune to make regu- lar visits to Aotearoa New Zealand to learn from their early and current- day pioneers and see the remarkable way their national early childhood system has embraced the idea of translating their bicultural aspirations into inspiring early childhood environments. While there is a national cur- riculum, Te Whāriki, in their country, this hasn’t resulted in standardized COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL Introduc tion   ]   7