Dr. Junlei Li gave the keynote address at the Play in Education, Development, and Learning (PEDAL) conference in at Cambridge University. His talk focused on re-imagining quality in the context of inequitable resources, relating to this past article. Instead of focusing just on traditional quality measurements that are often tied to materials or education, however, we can appreciate the ordinary magic of everyday interactions and relationship building across both high- and low-resource settings.
Dr. Junlei Li and Dr. Dana Winters were the keynote presenters at the New York State Education Department's Office of Early Learning's P-3 Summer Virtual Conference. The keynote discussed finding more than one way for helpers to work with children and families through positive relational experiences. Dr. Li also led the follow-up workshop, with SI collaborators Dr. Beverly Falk  and Dr. Lisa Kuh, which added a practice-based approach to support helpers' reflections on their interactions with children and other adults. The Keynote and Workshop are free to view, but registration may be required.
What Matters for Children's Resilience? The Presence of One In this keynote address for the 2018 Onslow County, NC Partnership for Children State of the Child Breakfast, Dr. Winters talks about the importance of human relationships to resilience for children and youth (2018).
"Socially Distant and More Connected than Ever" (Li and Winters, 2020)
Responding to the challenges that COVID-19 brought upon families and educators, Dr. Winters and Dr. Li joined the Education Now webinar series from Harvard Graduate School of Education to discuss the power of human connection in this disruptive time and reasons for hope in this discussion.
"How do We Know We are Enough?" (Li, 2024)
For the School of Continuous and Lifelong Education, Dr. Li presents for adult learners a reflection and a reminder that the simple, ordinary things we do with other human beings do in fact matter. They matter in ways that can be seen and felt in moments when we really show up for others, and in ways that can be measured over the long run even if we are not there to see or hear it ourselves.
​"Listen With More Than Our Ears: Helping children through simple, ordinary interactions" (Li, 2019)
​​​In the “Learning to Listen” webinar series with the Brazelton Touchpoints Center, Dr. Li gives an overview of the simple interactions approach while celebrating the legacy of early childhood pioneers like Berry Brazelton and Fred Rogers.
Fostering Relational Health (Li, 2025).
Dr. Junlei Li participated in an interactive conversation with Brazelton Touchpoints about relational foundations and practices that nurture hope, resilience, and community. For caregivers, educators, and helping professionals, this session offers a practical reminder of our capacity to connect with, care for, and support one another.
Putting Mister Rogers’ Deep and Simple Into Practice (Li, 2018). 
​In this Harvard EdCast podcast, Dr. Li explains Simple Interactions through the lens of what it means to be “deep and simple” in interactions with children.
Resilience and the Purpose of Everyday Interactions
Dr. Junlei Li and Dr. Dana Winters presented "Children’s Resilience and the Importance of Everyday Interactions" as part of the Glenbard Parent Series. They led a discussion on human interactions and their place when it comes to interacting with children.
High-Quality ECE Practices in Low-Resource Settings: Lessons for all (Li, 2025)
Dr. Junlei Li spoke for a webinar with Early Childhood Investigations on the lessons provided by high quality ECE practices in low resource settings. The webinar is free to watch but may require registration.
How Does Quality Grow? (Li, 2017)
In a talk at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Dr. Li explores how interactions are essential to growing quality in child-serving settings. ​
What is Simple and Deep? (Li, 2016)  
In this plenary presentation for the 2016 QRIS National Meeting organized by the Build Initiative, Dr. Li talks about what is simple and deep in our work to understand and improve quality in early childhood.
 The Science of "Good Enough" Relationships  (Li, 2024)
In a discussion for educators and families to attend for free, Junlei discusses how to trust in ones own instinct for relationships and ways to build capacity for authentic interactions.