The Sarah Lawrence community mourns the loss of faculty emerita Jan Drucker, who passed away in September 2025. A member of the Psychology faculty for nearly 50 years (1972-2021), Jan taught and mentored generations of undergraduate and graduate students. As a devoted and insightful clinical psychologist, she lent her considerable expertise to the Early Childhood Center as a clinical consultant, and was a co-founder and director of the Child Development Institute, remaining an active participant on its advisory board even after her retirement.
An instrumental contributor to the founding of the Art of Teaching and Child Development graduate programs, Jan worked closely with Barbara Schecter, former director of the Child Development program, to create the College’s dual degree program in Child Development and Social Work with the NYU Silver School of Social Work. Throughout her career, she was a tireless advocate for the view of children as makers of their own meaning. As a clinical and developmental psychologist, Jan’s work with children, teachers and families focused on communicating the value of toddler play and understanding teachers’ perceptions of play. Together with other members of the Child Development Institute, Jan worked with filmmaker Jonathan Diamond to produce The Learning Child Series (When a Child Pretends, When Learning Comes Naturally, Values Go to School, From Pictures to Words) for public education. This series continues to support caregivers and educators in guiding children to become engaged, thoughtful, lifelong learners.
Those who worked alongside Jan remember her insight, generosity, and lasting impact on the college community. Lorayne Carbon, director of the Early Childhood Center, remembers Jan’s presence at the Early Childhood Center as “a true gift to us, as well as to the hundreds of parents who took advantage of being able to sit down with Jan to get advice or just talk something through. She had an uncanny ability to come into a classroom and, within minutes, see each child and have a sense of their beings.”
Jan’s legacy at the College — a collaborative group of faculty, staff, students, and alumni focused on children, childhood, and education— will long live on among all who were fortunate to call her a colleague and a friend.