On December 6, Bank Street Graduate School of Education hosted its annual Emotionally Responsive Schools Conference, which offered teachers, social workers, and administrators the opportunity to deepen their understanding of child development, social and emotional learning, parent engagement, and techniques for building school communities where every child feels seen, heard, and valued.
The theme of this year’s virtual conference was “Celebrating 25 Years of Emotionally Responsive Practice: A Time for Pause, Reflection, and Continued Growth.” The day began with a keynote presentation titled “Some Things Change, Some Things Stay the Same” by Lesley Koplow, GSE ’79, founding director emeritus, Center for Emotionally Responsive Practice at Bank Street College of Education. Koplow discussed how current events affect the emotional development of young children. She emphasized the importance of play and reflective language in teaching practices and how nurturing adult-child relationships can serve as buffers for children experiencing overwhelming external challenges.
Koplow encouraged educators and caregivers to remain attuned to children’s developmental needs, create supportive environments, and provide children with the space and emotional security to process the changes around them, develop resilience, and build the emotional balance that helps them to navigate our rapidly changing world.
“Societal changes happen, but children’s developmental needs stay the same,” she said. “Pretend play is a critical aspect of young children’s development, helping them make sense of the world. For generations, young children have made sense of elements of their lives by playing about them. Indeed, the world of pretend is foundational for children’s social and emotional health. But when children are overwhelmed by external realities or trauma, they struggle to engage in creative play. We can create protective circles around them that offer emotional buffering and support.”
Following the keynote, attendees participated in morning and afternoon workshops led by Bank Street’s Emotionally Responsive Practice team and other professionals, featuring topics such as “Honoring The Whole Child: Using ERP with Children with Special Needs,” “Nurturing Educators: Prioritizing Teacher Mental Health for a Thriving Learning Environment,” “Teddy Bears in Practice,” “Staying Connected with Parents,” and “Implementing ERP in an Academically Driven School Environment,” among others.
These workshops provided practical advice, examples, and methods. For example, the “Languaging Is Emotional: Translanguaging, Multilanguage Learners and ERP” session was presented by Margaret Blachly, Co-Director, Emotionally Responsive Practice, Bank Street College of Education and Carmen Colón, Course Instructor and Supervised Fieldwork Advisor, Bank Street Graduate School of Education. Blachly highlighted effective strategies to better engage children from diverse backgrounds and explained how to create a resource booklist aimed at multilingual learners. Colón stated that feeling safe in their learning environment is paramount for children and suggested learning 10 words from a song in a child’s home language as a bridge to make them feel valued and strengthen their connection to their cultural identity.
Shael Polakow-Suransky, President, Bank Street College of Education and Interim Dean, Bank Street Graduate School of Education, shared personal experiences related to his daughter’s experience at the Bank Street Family Center, illustrating how emotionally responsive practices can provide essential support and connection during the formative early years.
“We appreciate all of you—the dedicated educators, social workers, and caregivers who work each day to ensure that children feel seen, valued, and supported in meaningful ways,” Polakow-Suransky said. “Life brings its challenges, whether it’s losing a favorite red shoe, dealing with a sick pet, or witnessing the broader changes in the world around them. When those early years are filled with strong, attuned relationships, children learn to weather life’s storms. This is at the heart of Bank Street’s mission to nurture the whole child emotionally, socially, and academically.”
Learn more about the Emotionally Responsive Schools Conference