Conferences & Institutes

Infancy Institute

This early childhood conference focuses on the care of infants through four-year-olds. Each year workshops focus on curriculum, infant and toddler development, challenging behaviors, working with families, and emotionally responsive practice highlighting cutting-edge developments in research, relationship-based practice, and family-centered care. The institute, founded in 1987, has educated thousands of infant/toddler specialists from around the world. We welcome caregivers, teachers, directors, trainers, home visitors, parents, early interventionists, developmental specialists, social workers, family childcare providers, and all who support young children in a variety of settings.

2024 Conference: “Boundless Beginnings: Liberation in Care for Infants and Toddlers”

On Site
Thursday, June 20 from 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Friday, June 21 from 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Bank Street College

Online*
Wednesday, June 26 from 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
(Networking Opportunity from 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM)
Thursday, June 27 from 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM

*for the online sessions, Zoom translate

-is available to provide live captions in over 25 languages.
– 可提供超过 25 种语言的实时字幕。
-está disponible para proporcionar subtítulos en vivo en más de 25 idiomas.

You may register for both or choose one format.

2024 Keynote ON SITE: Dr. Denisha Jones

Liberatory Pedagogy in the Early Years: Free to Develop, Free to Learn, Free to Teach

Concepts like liberatory, emancipatory, and decolonized pedagogies are often used in the context of working with older students, but rarely are these ideas applied to early childhood educators. In this keynote, Dr. Denisha Jones outlines the need for early childhood education to center liberation and freedom as necessary to foster whole child development. In misguided efforts to prepare children for school, early childhood practices have disrupted optimal development, severed our natural desires to learn, and led to teacher demoralization and demotivation. Dr. Jones offers early childhood liberatory pedagogy as a framework to ensure all children are free to develop and learn, and teachers are free to teach.

2024 Keynote ONLINE: Yasmin Dorrian

Challenges as Catalysts: A Liberating Journey from Behavior Challenges to Profound Connection

What if instead of focusing on changing or modifying children’s challenging behaviors, we focused on our own internal and external response to these behaviors? What if we didn’t view these behaviors as challenging at all? What if we worked instead to understand why these behaviors were especially challenging for us. Rather than merely attempting to alter children’s behaviors, this conversation will challenge participants to introspectively examine their own responses and perceptions.

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History of the Infancy Institute

In 1987, Faculty and Graduate Students of the Bank Street Infant & Family Development and Early Intervention Program recognized the lack of professional development designed specifically to improve the practice of those working with infants and toddlers. The Infancy Institute was the answer to that interdisciplinary need in the many settings where infants, toddlers, and families interact with professionals. Highlighting cutting-edge research, development, relationship-based practice, and family-centered care, the institute has educated thousands of infant/toddler specialists from around the world.

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Related Graduate School Programs

Infant and Family Development and Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special and General Education
Infant and Family Development and Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education
Infant and Family Development and Early Intervention/Dual degree with Hunter College School of Social Work
Infant and Family Development and Early Intervention (Non-certification)
Early Childhood Special and General Education Dual Certification
Early Childhood Leadership Advanced Certificate

Full List of Programs

Participant Experiences

The presenters gave such interesting, concrete examples that I could bring to my center and really understood the reasoning behind the approach.

Anonymous

Participant Experiences

I love the emphasis on culture, race and relationships and, of course, children!

Anonymous