Finally, an amazing and much-needed Kindergarten Conference will be hosted at the Bank Street College of Education on April 21 and 22. If you’re a kindergarten teacher, work with kindergarten teachers or have a particular interest in kindergarten, I would encourage you to sign up for the conference ASAP!
Teaching Kindergarten: Where Did the Garden Go? Practice, Policy, and Advocacy

Join other kindergarten teachers, school leaders and policy makers as we revisit and celebrate the unique and vital role of Kindergarten in the life of the child. Inspiring keynote speakers will present current research on learning and development and its implications for Kindergarten practice.

Workshop leaders will engage you in interactive sessions on literacy, math, social studies, block building, family engagement, music and science, among others. All workshops will address working with English Language Learners, children with special needs, the rich diversity of our students and the Common Core State Standards. Participants will leave the conference reinvigorated and inspired to strive for what is right for all Kindergarten children.

Featured Speakers

Friday, April 21
Keynote: A Meaningful Kindergarten for ALL children | Dr. Derrick Gay
Guest Speaker: Who is the 5 year old? | Lesley Koplow
Guest Speaker: The Power of Song in Kindergarten | Betsy Blachly and Susan Harris

Saturday, April 22
Keynote: What is Happening to our Children’s Garden? Reflections on Kindergarten in a Changing World | Dr. Beverly Falk
Keynote: Transforming Kindergarten: Supporting Teachers to Strengthen Quality | Dr. Shannon Riley-Ayers
Special Interview: Joining with the Kindergarten Learner | Yvonne Smith interviewed by Julie Diamond

Morning Workshops

Upon Registration for the conference, you will be asked to select one morning workshop from the list below.

Morning Workshops Descriptions

1. Block Building Basics: Making the Most of Your Block Area | Facilitator: Rebecca Burdett
2. Creating Environments, Routines, and Curricula to Support Kindergarten Learning: Forging Links between Personal Content and Learning | Facilitator: Julie Diamond
3. Embracing Differences in Kindergarten | Facilitator: Dr. Derrick Gay
5. Facilitating Social-Emotional Development through Movement in the Kindergarten Classroom | Facilitator: Diane Duggan
9. The Importance of Family Engagement | Facilitator: Maimuna Mohammed
10. The Importance of Play in Kindergarten | Facilitator: Joan Almon
12. Museum Studies in Kindergarten | Facilitators: Margaret Blachly and Andrea Fonseca
14. Science Exploration in Kindergarten: Curiosity, Enthusiasm, and a Love of Learning! | Facilitator: Michael Ziemski
15. Storytelling/Story Acting: Bringing Vivian Paley’s Methodology into Kindergarten | Facilitator: Suzette Abbott

Afternoon Workshops

Upon registration, you will be asked to select one afternoon workshop from the list below:

Afternoon Workshop Descriptions

4. The Essential Role of Trips in the Kindergarten Curriculum | Facilitator: Salvatore Vascellaro
6. Finding the Courage to Bring Kindness and Compassion Back to the Garden | Facilitators: Kelly D’Addona, Laura Morris, and Dr. Cynthia Paris
7. Friendship, Fear, Fairness, and Fantasy at Five: What Makes Vivian Paley’s Kindergarten Vision So Stubbornly Relevant in All Settings? | Facilitator: Dr. Patricia M. (“Patsy”) Cooper
8. How Curiosity Drives an Investigation: The Wheelchair Study and the Aviation Project | Facilitator: Dana Roth and Renée Dinnerstein
11. Literacy and Art, Building the Bridge | Facilitator: Denise Prince
13. From Read-aloud to Retelling: Planting a Story Garden in Kindergarten | Facilitator: Nina Jaffe
16. What’s New in Children’s Books for the Kindergarten Classroom? | Facilitator: Mollie Welsh Kruger
17. Working with English Language Learners in Kindergarten | Facilitators: Tatiana Rosa and Antonia Bendezu

Register
April 21: 4:00 – 8:30 pm
April 22: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm

Bank Street College of Education
610 West 112th Street, NYC 10025
Register Now 

To pay by Purchase Order, complete a registration form for each participant and fax the PO and registration form(s) to 212-875-4777.
Partial SCHOLARSHIPS are available. Apply here. (Scholarships are reviewed on a first-come, first-serve basis until funds are depleated.)

Conference Fee:
$195* Early Bird fee (through March 15, 2017)
$265* Conference fee (after March 16, 2017)

1 graduate credit may be earned by paying the tuition fee, $1525 (includes conference fees)
*Includes Friday dinner, Saturday light breakfast
Earn 12 CTLE hours or 1 CEU included with conference fees

Register Now

To pay by Purchase Order, complete a registration form for each participant and fax the PO and registration form(s) to 212-875-4777.
Partial SCHOLARSHIPS are available. Apply here. (Scholarships are reviewed on a first-come, first-serve basis until funds are depleated.)

We wish to thank Community Playthings for their support.

Conference Location:
Bank Street College of Education
610 West 112th Street, New York, NY 10025

This conference was created and developed by:
Betsy Grob
Betsy currently advises students at City College of New York and served on the faculty of Bank Street College for over twenty years. Betsy has taught kindergarten, first grade, and Spanish in both New York City and Colorado and has worked with early childhood educators in many countries including Sierra Leone, Chile, Romania, Mongolia, and Azerbaijan. She is co-author of The Right to Learn: Preparing Early Childhood Teachers to Work in High-Needs Schools (Bank Street College Occasional Paper Series) and is co-editor of Teaching Kindergarten: Learner-Centered Classrooms for the 21st Century (Teachers College Press, 2015). Betsy holds an MS and an EdM from Bank Street College.

Fretta Reitzes
Fretta, an educational consultant, was the founder and director of the Wonderplay Conference at the 92nd Street Y in New York City from 2006-2016. She was the director of 92Y’s Goldman Center for Youth & Family from 1990-2016 and was director of the Y’s Parenting Center from 1980-1990. Before her tenure began at 92Y, Fretta taught preschool, kindergarten, and first grade in New York City and New Jersey and trained daycare teachers and directors in Bridgeport, Connecticut. She is the co-author of Teaching Kindergarten: Learner Centered Classrooms for the 21st Century (Teachers College Press, 2015), Wonderplay (Running Press, 1995), Wonderplay, Too! (Running Press, 2005), and The Right to Learn: Preparing Early Childhood Teachers to Work in High-Needs Schools (Bank Street College Occasional Paper Series).

Conference Registration
Register Now
Contact CPS to register with a PO
email: cps@bansktreet.edu
tel: 212-875-4707 or
fax:212-875-4777