DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM WITH PHONE OR TABLET Preface Emergent curriculum is learning that begins with keen observation and listening for a child’s agenda, followed by deep reflection, responses, and support from the child’s educators. It allows for children and teachers to co-​construct curriculum that is intentional and meaningful. The use of emergent, inquiry-​based practices with young children continues to spread rapidly throughout the world. Much exploration of these approaches has taken place in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. This is heartening for those of us who have spent many years advo- cating for play-​based, child-​centered learning. We have learned much about inquiry and project-​based learning from our coun- terparts in Reggio Emilia, Italy. After the devastation of World War II, families and educators in this northern Italian town began developing thoughtful, creative, and inspiring approaches toward the education of young children. These approaches have led educators around the world to consider their image of the child and con- sider how they might reflect that image in their teaching practices. Over time, some educators have adapted approaches from Reggio Emilia for use in their own early childhood settings. I suspect that many of us first became aware of pedagogical documentation—​the practice of making children’s and teachers’ thinking and learning visible through graphic displays of photography, work samples, and text—​when we examined the work coming out of Reggio Emilia. This documentation was, and continues to be, astoundingly insightful, beautifully presented, and thought provoking. It is no won- der that this work has captured our hearts, minds, and imaginations. My first exposure to the documentation of children’s work has stayed with me for more than twenty years. It occurred when I was on a study tour at the Model Early Learning Center (MELC), a preschool for three-​to five-​year-​olds in Washington, DC, where founder and director Ann Lewin-​Benham had been exploring the work of Reggio educators and their leaders. The educators at MELC had been collaborating on-​site at their school with Amelia Gambetti, a pedagogical leader who was visiting from Reggio Emilia. Ms. Gambetti worked alongside the MELC educators as a master teacher for several months so that they could experience approaches from the Italian schools. At this time, I was the program coordinator at Peter Green Hall Children’s Centre (PGHCC) in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and we too were immersed in the study of ix COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL