In many contexts, early educators are pressured to adopt narrow, skill-based curricular approaches and accompanying standards and measures of accountability. Alternatively, other educators infuse holistic learning and development through the play and guided inquiry of young children. For decades, passionate educators and caregivers have studied and implemented the Reggio Emilia approach, articulated by Loris Malaguzzi and ‘inspiring’ practices across the globe. This manuscript seeks to narrow the schism between quests for accountability and standardized notions of rigour in developmentally robust early childhood settings where educators build on the curiosity, agency, and creativity of young children. In particular, it explores the historical context and rationale of the Reggio Emilia approach, spotlights the thinking of and influences on Malaguzzi, and outlines how the focus on the agency and inclusion of all children and the documentation by and intentionality of adults contributes to the longstanding appeal of Reggio-inspired approaches. (author abstract)