a special place & time for children and their parents…
“Free to Be” parent-child support is a specially-dedicated place and time
to discover your baby as the competent, whole person she is, because,
just as the child’s first teacher is their parent, the parent’s first teacher is their child.
All group classes and individual family support are rooted in Magda Gerber’s guiding principles that infants are born as competent individuals who can actively problem-solve, will develop fully when allowed to freely explore their world (in a safe, age-appropriate environment) and have the right to be engaged with authenticity, appreciated for what they can do now and handled with regard and respect.
I offer:
RIE® Before BabyTM classes
1:1 newborn parent guidance:
“Free to Be from the Start”
RIE® Certified Parent-Infant GuidanceTM classes, called
“Free to Be Infants” & “Free to Be Toddlers”
“[Free to Be] is a journey for caregiver and child to bring out the best in each other from infancy.”
~A.D., Free to Be class participant
RIE® Before BabyTM
An introductory course for those expecting, waiting to adopt, or thinking about becoming a parent, Before Baby is designed to start you on your journey with confidence in yourself as a parent and trust in your baby’s unique ability to show you the way.
Before Baby will help you meet the needs of your baby and establish healthy patterns from the beginning of life. Course content includes:
What crying means and how to respond
Setting up the baby’s room
Sleep for baby and parents
Bathing
Feeding
Diapering
Working with baby’s biological rhythms
Self-initiated movement
Using observation to guide your decisions
“Quality” time together
Before Baby is held in small groups in my beautiful dedicated classroom in Novato:
7.5 hr in-person class $350, offered in 2 formats:
5 evenings, weekly, 1.5 hr classes
or
2 weekend days (split over 2 weekends), 3.5 / 4 hr classes (plus a lunch break)
Join me, along with other aspiring and expectant parents to learn about
RIE’s relationship-based approach to caring for your newborn.
Please visit my class calendar for upcoming class dates, times, location and registration information.
“I had so many worries about ‘not doing enough’ and ‘not being enough’ for my new baby, but Jennifer calmed all those fears for me and showed me how doing less and trusting more is profoundly effective and beneficial for our son!“
~A.C., newborn parent
1:1 in-home newborn parent guidance
Once baby is here…
Free to Be from the Start, for parents of newborns, is a special opportunity to discover the joy of interacting with your baby as the competent, whole person she is – creating ease & connection for all, from the start!
Learn about early communication, respectful care and how to develop authentic attunement, in a less-is-more approach.
Meeting 1:1 on a weekly basis in the comfort of home, you will be supported to explore your respectful parenting goals for your unique family. Over a month’s time, I provide active modeling, customized guidance & helpful resources to further support you on your new journey.
Free to Be from the Start early postpartum home visits are booked in 4-week increments; 1 visit per week (1.5 hours per visit). Can be repeated monthly as desired from birth until your baby is 4 months of age:
$390 for 4 home visits ($325 for birth clients).*
Let’s connect to explore this option and schedule your Free to Be from the Start in-home series.
*there is a travel fee for locations outside of Marin County; also available by Zoom
“We love the respectful parenting approach, but it’s hard to just read a book and know what to do. Talking about real life situations and getting specific strategies from Jennifer has helped us bring more RIE into our home.”
~T.K., Free to Be class participant
group parent-child classes
Free to Be Infants & Free to Be Toddlers in-person RIE® Certified Parent-Infant GuidanceTM classes offer an exploration of the respect-filled, trust-based approach pioneered by infant development specialist Magda Gerber.
Held as a small group in an inviting, predictable, developmentally-appropriate environment, over a series of 8 weeks you are invited to observe and fully appreciate your child’s capabilities while learning authentic and respectful ways to support them becoming all they came here to be. You will encourage your child’s independent play, foster their critical thinking skills, and deepen your relationship—all in a thoughtful, less-is-more approach.
Free to Be group parent-child classes are for parents or caregivers with Infants, 4 – 10 months, or Toddlers, 10 – 20 months:
$380 per 8-week series.
A $340 early-bird rate applies until approximately 2 weeks before the start of each series.
Classes are held in a beautiful dedicated classroom in Novato, CA
Please visit my class calendar for upcoming series dates, times, location and registration information.
“Your presence is such a gift. Your deep sense of the true nature of the child and ability to translate it into the language of love, compassion and respect is as close to magic as I’ll ever see.”
~B.H., consultation client
*(on temporary hold)*
hourly private consultation for families
Offered on an as-desired basis; prenatally, in postpartum and beyond; I privately support families exploring Magda Gerber‘s philosophy of respect-based parenting & caregiving at home. I can help you (and/or your child’s caregivers*) tap into your own trust while discovering who your child is.
My primary role as consultant is to help you identify & meet your parenting goals for your own unique circumstances. I also provide active modeling, customized guidance and helpful resources to support the achievement or revision of your goals over time.
*If you wish, I can guide your child’s caregivers in this same capacity, as they develop their unique relationship with your child.
Private consultation *(temporarily on hold)* is $140/hour*, in-home, by phone or by video, with a minimum 1-hour initial session ($90/hour for class participants; 1-hr min waived). All subsequent support is provided upon request, payable by the quarter hour.
*Please note:*
At this time I am unable to schedule consultation time. Let’s connect if you would like the names of a few talented colleagues who are currently offering this support to families. I would love to help you find a good fit!
*there is a travel fee for locations outside of Marin County
“We were so happy to have had the opportunity to have you here and we benefitted very much from it. J and I both had some “ah ha” moments… The last two days have been amazing with R and the communication has been a million times better. J… told me that it was great to have you come cause you were able to explain things to him that help him understand so much more.
~B.C., consultation client
We are happy to be starting this journey with the new skills you have helped us learn.”
Please check out my video interview with Isabelle Bridges Boesch, for her Mom-ME Circle forum, discussing “how to surrender” to the things in parenting that are beyond our direct control:
