Current Course Schedule

Play as a Tool of Early Intervention (Birth-8 Years)

Young children play to express feelings, gain mastery over materials, and find meaning in complex experiences. When an emotional crisis interferes with a young child’s development, the disturbance manifests itself in the child’s play. When early intervention is required to promote healthy development, play becomes an essential therapeutic tool, as well as a diagnostic indicator. This course will utilize current theoretical perspectives to gain insight into children’s play. You will work with these theories to develop play techniques to use in early childhood classrooms and in individual therapy sessions. A basic understanding of early childhood development is required.

Term(s) offered: Spring term
Format: on-campus
  • Course Number
    SPED550N
  • Focus On
    Ages Birth - 8 Years
  • Category
    Credit-bearing Courses, Early Childhood, On Campus
  • Registration Options and Cost
    $425 12.0 CTLE or 1.2 CEU
    $1,868 1.0 Credits

Sections

Spring 2025

  • Section 1:
    Date(s)
    April 4 and 5 | On Campus
    Day and Time
    Friday and Saturday, 4:45-9:15 PM and 9:00-5:00 PM
    Registration Deadline
    Mar 28, 2025
    Register
    • Lesley Koplow
      Lesley Koplow
      Lesley Koplow, M.S., L.C.S.W, is the Founding Director Emeritus of the Center for Emotionally Responsive Practice at Bank Street College, and the creator of the Schools That Heal Network. Ms. Koplow is the author of several books on child mental health in schools, including; Unsmiling Faces: How Preschool can Heal (Teachers College Press, 2007) and Politics Aside: Our Children and Their Teachers in Score-Driven Times (Outskirts Press, 2014). Her most recent book for educators, Emotionally Responsive Practice: A Path for Schools That Heal (Teachers College Press), was published in 2021. She is currently writing, illustrating and publishing books for children, including Stories for Children in the Time of Covid (Lilah in the Land of the Littles, Jasmine’s Big Idea, and Wilson’s Wishes, (independently published, 2020, 2021, and 2022) and Understanding Feelings in Community (Popcorn Comes To School: The Story of a Kitten in Kindergarten, Teddy Bear Circle Publications, 2022; Popcorn’s Lost and Found, 2022; and Ellie the Deli Cat Finds a Friend, 2023). Ms. Koplow was the winner of the 2013 New York Zero-To-Three Emily Fenichel Award for Educational Leadership, and the Thomases Award for Leadership from Bank Street College in 2018, and the Most Distinguished Alumni Award from Bank Street College in 2023.