The Child Development Institute, part of the Children, Childhood and Education Collaborative, was established in 1987 to develop programs for early childhood and elementary school teachers, administrators, child development professionals, parents and the community at large.
More than three decades later, the Child Development Institute honors its innovative legacy of thought leadership and progressive education with regular offerings such as:
- Lectures and panels that engage the expertise of psychologists, educators, sociologists, and other professionals
- Collaboratively engaging with organizations that want to partner
- Developmental research studies
- Intensive seminars and accredited workshops for teachers
- Community Adventure Play Experiences (CAPE) for children in our surrounding communities
Upcoming Events
2026 Longfellow Lecture
Children and Their Care Givers: The Pleasure of Knowing One Another
Arietta Slade ‘73, PhD
March 25, 2026, 5:30pm
Arietta Slade is a clinical psychologist and internationally recognized theoretician, clinician, researcher, teacher, and proud Sarah Lawrence Alum. Her lecture will center on how to help parents, caregivers, clinicians, and teachers “hold the child in mind”, thus inspiring the joy and connection that come from understanding and knowing each other.
Counted Out - A Film By Vicki Abeles
Film Screening and Discussion
April 21, 2026, 5:00pm
“Counted Out” investigates the biggest crises of our time. Political polarization. Racial biases. Social injustice. Economic inequity. Climate change. And a global pandemic. All viewed through a previously unseen lens: math.
Previous Events
Trauma Proof: Healing, Attachment, and the Science of Prevention
Benjamin Perks
February 25, 2026, 5:30pm
Trauma Proof is a story-driven tour of everything we know about child trauma and its lasting and costly impact on individuals and society. It redefines how we see childhood trauma and outlines a new path towards healing and prevention.
Watch the recording here.
CDI Annual Conference 2025
Embracing Play
CDI’s 2025 Annual Conference, featured a full day of conversations and workshops focused on the importance of play in children’s lives and the need for adults to create and sustain crucial play opportunities for children in their homes, schools, and community spaces. Play, in all these contexts, is essential for supporting intellectual, social, and emotional well-being of children and adults.
Watch the recordings here.
Mission
Through its work, the Child Development Institute provides a progressive perspective on child development and education. In this perspective, the child is viewed as an individual in the social context, actively engaged in constructing knowledge through interactions with other people and the physical environment. We believe that the child's educational experience should encompass social, emotional, and imaginative aspects of life in concert with intellectual development. Further, we are concerned that schools and other institutions be developed as communities that attend to the interests and needs of children from diverse backgrounds.