Nature,
Culture,
& Childhood
A one-day conference for educators working with children ages 3 - 10
October 10, 2026
New Haven, Connecticut
Leila Day invites educators, school leaders, artists, environmental practitioners, and community-based thinkers to join a gathering exploring outdoor learning, multicultural education, and childhood in relationship
with place.
Express Interest / Stay Informed
ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
Reimagining early childhood through nature, culture
& community
Leila Day’s 2026 Conference is a one-day gathering dedicated to reimagining early childhood education through the lenses of nature, culture, and community.
Centered on children ages 3–10, the conference brings together educators and practitioners committed to experiential, place-based, and relational approaches to learning. Through workshops, dialogue, and shared practice, participants will explore how children engage with the living world—through water, soil, story, movement, art, and community life.
Sessions will take place across Leila Day’s indoor classrooms, outdoor learning environments, and nearby East Rock Park and the Mill River.
Conference Themes
We welcome workshop proposals that engage with topics such as:
Nature-based & outdoor education
Storytelling, memory
cultural knowledge
Art, movement & sensory
learning in nature
Water, rivers &
ecological systems
Gardening &
seasonal learning
Multicultural perspectives on childhood
Place-based &
experienced pedagogy
Community-centered
curriculum design
Childhood, wonder &
ecological relationship
Call for Workshops
We are now accepting proposals for interactive workshops (90 minutes) designed for educators and caregivers working with children ages 3–10. Workshops should be:
Highly participatory and experiential
Grounded in practice and real-world application
Relevant to classroom, outdoor, or community-based settings
Engaging for educators across early childhood and elementary contexts
Presenters may propose indoor sessions or outdoor experiences in nearby natural spaces.
How to Participate
Submit a Workshop Proposal
Share a 90-minute, hands on session. Please include:
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Workshop title
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200–400 word description
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Intended audience (educators, caregivers, administrators)
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Age range focus (3–10)
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Presenter bio
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Space/material needs
SELECTED PRESENTERS RECEIVE
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A $300 honorarium
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Lunch and refreshments
Express Interest
Not ready to submit a workshop? Join our mailing list for updates, registration information, and conference announcements as plans take shape.
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Be first to hear when registration opens
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Program & schedule announcements
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News from the Leila Day community
Stay Informed
Important Dates
First
August 15, 2026
Proposal Deadline
Then
September 1, 2026
Notification of Acceptance
Finally
October 10, 2026
Conference Day
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Charlie Malone, PhD
"Nature, Culture, and Childhood"
Charlie Malone is overjoyed to have found a home at Leila Day. He grew up immersed in the social liberation movements of the 1960s and, as a young child, attended the Inter-Community Learning Center, a free school where he learned through play, peer collaboration, and the gentle care of supportive adults. He earned a B.A. in Philosophy and Literature from the New School for Social Research and began his career as a preschool teacher at the Park Slope Child Care Collective in Brooklyn, NY.
He later completed a PhD in Child Studies, Education, and Schooling at UC Berkeley. After a long career as an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at The City College of New York, he returned to New Haven and joined Leila Day in 2014 as a teacher and Nature and Curriculum Facilitator before becoming Executive Director.
Charlie brings a strong vision for progressive early childhood education and leads with compassion, creativity, and collaborative problem-solving. He is committed to nurturing Leila Day's play-centric, nature-based, multicultural, and egalitarian community as the school approaches its 150th anniversary.
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Leila Day
100 Cold Spring St.
New Haven, Connecticut
Selected sessions will take place outdoors in East Rock Park and along the Mill River, as well as in Leila Day's indoor and outdoor learning environments.
What visionary
practice can you bring
to this gathering?
We look forward to welcoming educators committed to thoughtful, grounded, and imaginative approaches to childhood and learning.