On March 13 and 14, educators gathered at Bank Street College of Education and online for the 10th annual Teaching Kindergarten Conference: Where Did the Garden Go. With a theme of “Curiosity, Creativity & Courage,” the event served as a vital community space for teachers to refocus on joyful learning.
The conference opened on Friday with a keynote by Dr. Beverly Falk, professor and director emerita at The City College of New York. In her presentation, “Teaching the Way Children Learn: Finding Courage, Hope, and Joy in Kindergarten Classrooms,” she bridged the gap between pioneering educational theories and modern neuroscience.
Dr. Falk said, “Contemporary teaching policies and practices do not support what is known—that young children have natural curiosity and creativity and are born literally wired to learn through play and active involvement with materials and relationships.”
Dr. Falk noted that active experiences—meaning play, project work, and experiential learning—strengthen neural connections, lighting up multiple brain regions at once. She highlighted that by age five, 95 percent of brain architecture is formed, yet contemporary policies often “fight against biology” by forcing stillness and rote drill. She shared strategies for educators to ensure that teaching the way children learn best endures, emphasizing that movement is not a break from education, but what a child needs to be able to use their brain.
On Saturday, Melissa Butler, Director of the Children’s Innovation Project, shifted the focus to the internal practice of the educator with her keynote, “Wondering Small and Slow in the Garden.” Drawing on her work with the Fred Rogers Institute, Butler invited participants to find “spaciousness” and presence in their classrooms, regardless of academic mandates.
Butler said, “Kindergarten isn’t a bridge in order to get somewhere in the future. Kindergarten is a present, precious moment—a wildflower field of learning—that deserves to be honored for all that it is.”
Using the garden as a metaphor to illustrate deep pedagogical truths, Butler introduced coaches as trees, worms, and snails. She described how a tree teaches that a single moment is whole and immense, while the worm reminds teachers that “simple and true” work often happens in the midst of “murky and messy” environments, and the snail represents a teacher of presence, showing how educators can find a sense of spaciousness by attuning to the small, “spiral” moments of the day.
Throughout the two-day event, attendees participated in a series of roundtables and workshops with processing groups designed to translate the concepts into classroom realities. They explored the intersection of play and academics with sessions on math, science, the impact of screen time on executive function, and more. Additionally, the roundtables and workshops focused on documenting child development through multiple forms of evidence and integrating the arts to support all aspects of children’s growth.
Joy Lundeen Ellebane, Director, Continuing Professional Studies and conference coordinator, said, “Celebrating our 10th year feels like a pivotal moment for this community. We’ve spent a decade advocating for the ‘whole child,’ and seeing so many teachers leave here with renewed hope and practical tools reminds us why this gathering is a vital lifeline for early childhood educators.”
The conference concluded with a special toast celebrating 10 years of community and advocacy. Educators left with practical strategies to protect play-based learning, enhance and support the development of their kindergarteners, along with a commitment to share their approach within their school communities—all essential in today’s challenging educational landscape.
Bank Street is honored to offer the annual Teaching Kindergarten Conference with generous support from the Fran Strauss Early Childhood Endowment. A Bank Street alumna, Fran had a passionate belief that young students develop a joy for learning through a multisensory progressive education. To support future conferences, please consider donating to the endowment.