On June 25, Bank Street Graduate School of Education began its annual Infancy Institute, a three-day conference that brought together almost 200 teachers, caregivers, early intervention specialists, social workers, and others from across the country to reflect on their practice and learn new tools to enhance their work with young children.
With this year’s theme, “Shared Power, Shared Healing: Attunement as Activism,” attendees explored liberatory pedagogies and their importance in early care and education. Participants heard a keynote presentation on politicized care and attended interactive workshops on challenging behaviors, working with families, emotionally responsive practice, and more.
The conference began with a keynote by Nat Nadha Vikitsreth, LCSW, a nationally recognized decolonized therapist and facilitator, trans rights activist, and host of the Come Back to Care Podcast, where she talks about social justice in parenting practices and family liberation. In her presentation, titled “Politicizing Care: Using Power Analysis to Deepen Attunement,” Vikitsreth urged early childhood educators to weave political analysis into their practices in order to honor the dignity and humanity of all families and children.
Through personal stories, clinical insight, and interactive activities, she invited attendees to reflect on the survival strategies families develop in the face of racism, colonialism, capitalism, and patriarchy. She then proposed an approach that she called “politicized attunement,” which urges caregivers to embrace survival strategies not as dysfunctions but as deeply rational responses to systemic trauma.
“What if attunement could be something even more impactful?” she asked. “When we attune soul to soul first—and then behavior to behavior—that attunement is more holistic and complete. It’s not just holding space for families to feel seen and heard—but for them to belong and feel dignified.”
Vikitsreth asked attendees to craft their own narratives using a framework of “value, visibility, and vibe” to talk about race, class, and gender with the families they serve. During this reflection, she encouraged participants to step away from saviorism and move toward solidarity.
“No matter what we look like, where we come from, or who we love, we want our kids to have the freedom to thrive, but racism, classism, and colonialism create barriers,” she said. “However, we are the medicine we need. We already have what it takes to meet the moment with all that we are.”
After the keynote, conference attendees selected from more than 20 interactive workshops led by early childhood development experts from around the country, including Bank Street faculty and staff. Each workshop integrated research with real-world application, offering attendees tools they can take directly back into their classrooms, clinics, and communities. Topics included: Celebrating Autistic and Neurodivergent Forms of Play; Supporting LGBTQ Families and Children; Working with Children with Disabilities from a Place of Radical Care; and The Art and Science of Reflective Practice, among many others. A bilingual session, Fomentando la comunicación mediante la comprensión y el apoyo al desarrollo bilingüe, addressed language development in multilingual homes.
Margie Brickley, GSE ’89, co-director of the Infancy Institute and a supervised fieldwork advisor and course instructor in the Infant and Family Development and Early Intervention Program at Bank Street Graduate School of Education, said, “At this year’s conference, infant/toddler practitioners connected with each other and learned about centering liberation in our work with families and children. Every year, this forum provides a moment for educators to connect and reflect on their role as professionals and renew their commitment to the children and families they serve.”
Founded in 1987, the Infancy Institute has educated thousands of infant/toddler specialists from around the world. With its emphasis on emotionally responsive, relationship-based practice and a renewed commitment to equity and justice, the conference remains a vital space for learning, healing, and change.
Learn more about the Infancy Institute, or join our email list to be first to hear about the 2026 conference. Explore Bank Street’s graduate programs for working with Infants and families.