A series of public events sponsored by CDI each year brings the College community together with colleagues, experts, community partners, students at other institutions of higher education, and the public at large for lively presentations and discussions on a range of topics germane to children and childhood.
Ensuring the "Good Childhood" in a World of Cultural and Technological Change: Expanding the Nordic-American Dialogue on Early Education
The Child Development Institute at Sarah Lawrence College is currently planning a Symposium in collaboration with the American-Scandinavian Foundation, the third in a series of Nordic-American symposia bringing together Scandinavian and American educators to explore issues of common interest and concern.
Longfellow Lecture
The Longfellow Lecture is an annual event, initiated in the first year of CDI (1987) and funded by an endowment established by friends and family of Cynthia Longfellow '72. The 2019 lecture, on April 4, will explore the theme, "Ensuring the 'Good Childhood' in a Rapidly Changing World: A Nordic-American Dialogue." Dr. Denisha Jones, Esquire and Judith T. Wagner, pictured at left, are the presenters.
Thomas H. Wright Lecture
In 1996, the Leon Lowenstein Foundation gave a grant to launch a fund in child development honoring Thomas H. Wright, former member of the Sarah Lawrence College Board of Trustees. The Lowenstein Foundation provided additional funds in subsequent years. Following consultation, the decision was made to use the income from the fund to establish an annual lecture, the Thomas H. Wright Lecture. Since 1997, the lecture has been the keynote of the Empowering Teachers program.