Past Conferences

2022 Conference

“2022: Rediscovering the Joy and Purpose of Kindergarten”

Online
Friday, April 8 from 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM ET
Saturday, April 9 from 10:30 AM – 3:30 PM ET

Every teacher’s voice is essential as we explore important questions about kindergarten in today’s world: Who are our kindergarteners? How can we understand and respond to their needs while navigating academic pressures and COVID-19-related concerns? How do we continue to create environments that support social justice? How can we care for ourselves during this challenging time? Join us at this online conference to reconnect as a community and leave with hope and resilience, as well as resources that will inspire your teaching practice. New this year, the conference will feature a strand of workshops focused on pre-K and 3K.

Keynote Speakers:

  • Takiema Bunche Smith, Executive Director of Bank Street’s Center on Culture, Race & Equity
    Reclaiming and Elevating the Joy, Purpose, and Power of Kindergarten

  • Maria Richa, Director of Diversity and Equity for the School for Children at Bank Street College
    Rediscovering the Power of Art: Lines, Shapes, and Joy

  • Lesley Koplow, clinical social worker, teacher, author and founding Director of the Center for Emotionally Responsive Practice at Bank Street College.
    Big Masks, Little Masks: Finding Each Other in the Kindergarten Classroom

  • Renée Dinnerstein a teacher, director, mentor, and coach and
    Jackie Allen-Joseph an educator who has spent more than 30 years working for the NYC Department of Education.
    Reflections on an Educator’s Journey: A Conversation with Renée Dinnerstein

Workshops:

  • Close the Box and Step Back into the Garden: Guiding Children’s Learning Through Play | Jennifer Berube and Karen DuBois-Garofalo
  • Descriptive Inquiry: Learning to See the Child Through Their Work | Dr. Cara Furman and Dr. Cecilia M. Espinosa
  • Navigating the Latest Debate in Early Literacy Instruction: The Science of Reading, Balanced Literacy, and What Teachers Need to Know | Dr. Patricia M. Cooper
  • Singing Your Song and Finding Your Joy: Music in the Early Childhood Classroom | Jaquetta Bustion
  • Boys Can Draw Eyelashes Too: Gender Neutral Education in Early Childhood Classrooms | Milana Kagan
  • Exploring Printmaking in the Early Childhood Classroom | Pamela Crimmins and Judith Foster
  • Forest School in Brooklyn?? A Public School’s Efforts to Connect Young Children with Nature | William Fulbrecht
  • Joy for Whom?: Recognizing Joy and Purpose in Black Children’s Play and Creating Pro-Black Classrooms for Young Children | Dr. Nathaniel Bryan, Dr. Tim Kinard, Dr. Susi Long, and Dr. Dinah Volk
  • Navigating the Early Childhood Curriculum Using Play as a Guide | Jen Best
  • Windows, Mirrors, Sliding Glass Doors: A Children’s View to a Diverse Classroom Library | Kharissa Kenner