[Versione italiana pi&ugrave; sotto]
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Please join us on the afternoon of October 25, either in person at the Helen Hills Hills Chapel at Smith College in Northampton, MA or online, to celebrate the life of Elena (Lella) Gandini Little. &nbsp;
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This will be a joyful and informal event, to give us all the opportunity to gather and tell stories or convey reflections on how Lella shaped and sustained us.
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We will begin at 1pm, allowing for sufficient time for all who wish to contribute remembrances and stories.
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<ul>
<li>If you plan to come in person, please RSVP to Andrea at <a href="mailto:adellant@gmail.com">adellant@gmail.com</a> &nbsp;with your name, number in your party, and whether you would like to contribute either speaking, images, or other kind of tribute. There will be light refreshments for those attending in person. We will gather information about lodging in Northampton that weekend to send to those who are planning to attend, but regretfully cannot coordinate lodging for visiting folks.</li>
<li>If you cannot come in person but would like to participate simultaneously online, please register your name and email address at the link below and also let us know with your registration whether and how you would like to contribute.</li>
<li>If you cannot join us either in person or online, we hope to record the event and if we do, it will be posted on this memorial site as soon as possible after our celebration.</li>
</ul>
We hope you can join us!
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Vi invitiamo a unirvi a noi nel pomeriggio del 25 ottobre, di persona presso la Cappella Helen Hills Hills dello Smith College di Northampton, Massachusetts, oppure online, per celebrare la vita di Elena (Lella) Gandini Little.
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Sar&agrave; un evento gioioso e informale, che ci dar&agrave; l'opportunit&agrave; di riunirci e raccontare storie o riflessioni su come Lella ci ha formato e sostenuto.
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Inizieremo alle 13:00 (19:00 CET), lasciando tempo a sufficienza per chiunque voglia contribuire con ricordi e storie.
<ul>
<li>Se intendete partecipare di persona, vi preghiamo di confermare la vostra presenza ad Andrea all'indirizzo <a href="mailto:adellant@gmail.com">adellant@gmail.com</a> indicando il vostro nome, il numero di partecipanti e se desiderate contribuire parlando, con immagini o altri tipi di tributo. Ci sar&agrave; un rinfresco per chi parteciper&agrave; di persona. Raccoglieremo informazioni sugli alloggi a Northampton quel fine settimana da inviare a coloro che intendono partecipare, ma purtroppo non possiamo coordinare l'alloggio per gli ospiti.</li>
<li>Se non potete venire di persona ma volete partecipare contemporaneamente online, vi preghiamo di registrare il vostro nome e indirizzo email al link sottostante e farci sapere se e come volete contribuire.</li>
<li>Se non potete partecipare n&eacute; di persona n&eacute; online, speriamo di riuscire a registrare l'evento e, se ci riusciremo, lo pubblicheremo su questo sito commemorativo il prima possibile dopo la nostra celebrazione.</li>
</ul>
Ci auguriamo che possiate unirvi a noi!

A Celebration of Lella’s Life / Una celebrazione della vita di Lella

If you would like to join us online, please register at the “join event” link below and also let us know whether and how you would like to contribute. / Se vuoi unirti a noi online, per favore registrati sul link “join event” qui sotto e facci sapere se e come vorresti contribuire. 


Andrew Dellantonio

Elena Gandini Little

Ian Dellantonio

It is with deep sadness that we mark the passing of Elena (Lella) Gandini Little, a renowned educator, author, and tireless advocate for early childhood education, who died on June 16, 2025, in Northampton, Massachusetts, at the age of 90. Lella’s work profoundly shaped educational practices in North America and beyond, primarily through her commitment to the model developed in the city of Reggio Emilia in Italy.

Lella was born in Tregnago, Italy on July 3, 1934. She moved from Italy to the United States in 1972 when she married distinguished historian Lester K. Little, now Professor Emeritus at Smith College. Their dedicated partnership helped them maintain strong ties and important influence in both countries, in part through their leadership of the American Academy in Rome from 1999 to 2006.

Lella earned a B.A. and M.A. at Smith College and an Ed.D. at the University of Massachusetts. Her doctoral work included a dissertation on children’s bedtime rituals, exploring the "historical background of traditions (lullabies) and devices (swaddling clothes, cradles) to ease and facilitate the going to sleep of infants and young children" and the "rituals of separation at bedtime". She also conducted comparative studies, noting that in the U.S., book reading was more prevalent for bedtime transitions, while in Italy, storytelling, lullabies, or lying beside the child were more common.

In the 1970s Lella published several books for children in Italy, focusing mainly on traditional nursery rhymes and fairy tales. As she became familiar with schools and childcare centers in the US, she realized that many of the practices that she observed did not correspond to the child development theories she had studied that placed value on relationships and learning. Thus she began to bring visual materials and documented stories from Pistoia and Reggio Emilia to present and publish in the US, to help educators open new possibilities both for children and for their own profession.

In 1976, Lella began collaborating closely with Loris Malaguzzi, the founder of the Reggio Emilia approach. Lella became Malaguzzi’s trusted translator during his pivotal visits to the U.S. She served as United States Liaison for the Dissemination of the Reggio Emilia approach, and as Associate Editor of the journal, Innovations in Early Childhood Education, which dedicated a special issue to her accomplishments in 2023.

Lella championed the Reggio view of children and teachers as endowed with strong potential, ready to engage in relationships, listen, and learn together. She highlighted the teacher's role as a "researcher in collaboration with colleagues", and stressed the importance of relationships among children, teachers, and the environment, which is considered the "third teacher". Her work underscored the "hundred languages of children"—their diverse ways of expressing thoughts and theories through drawing, sculpting, storytelling, dramatic play, and other forms of creativity. She also promoted the idea that nothing in school should happen without joy. Lella observed and shared instances of children's playful discoveries, demonstrating how deeply trusting teachers can spark children's learning.

Lella taught at the University of Massachusetts, Lesley College, and Smith College, and served as a Visiting Scholar at Lesley University from 2008. Her honors include an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from the Erikson Institute (2004) and the Smith College Medal for Distinguished Alumnae (2008). Among her publications for educators, the best known is The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Approach to Early Childhood Education, now in its third edition, which has been translated into at least 26 languages across at least 145 countries.

Lella’s collaborations with Cathy Topal at the Smith Fort Hill School and Center for Early childhood Education culminated in their co-authored Beautiful Stuff books and many influential teaching workshops. Her close friendship with beloved local children's author Eric Carle further underscored her appreciation for the intersection of art and early learning.

Lella leaves behind her husband of 53 years Lester K. Little, her two brothers Nino (and wife Kerstin) and Sandro (and wife Joan) Gandini, her two sons Andrea (and wife Felicia) and Ian (and wife Barbara) Dell’Antonio, her three granddaughters Emilia, Miriam, and Fiona, and her step-grandson Lucien.

A celebration of Lella’s life will take place in the coming months; details will be announced on this site. In lieu of flowers donations may be sent to Cooley Dickinson VNA and Hospice.

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Elena Lella Gandini Little Obituary | Keeper Memorials