RIE® Nurturing Nanny Course
Caring for a baby is an extremely important job. All babies deserve to be cared for with respect, which is the hallmark of Magda Gerber’s Educaring® Approach. This course for in-home caregivers offers knowledge and practical suggestions that can help make this work easier and more enjoyable, resulting in advantages for the infants and young children who receive professional care.
Designed to encourage nannies to work more effectively and pleasurably, topics of study include:
-
Diapering, dressing, and feeding with respect
-
Creating safe places for play and learning
-
The caregiver’s role during play
-
Setting appropriate limits
-
Establishing a healthy sleep routine
-
Supporting secure relationships
-
Enhancing employee-employer relations
What is class like?
This course is taught in a mixed format that includes four weeks of independent study, videos, and live Zoom discussion.
Zoom Classes
We will be using Zoom for our live (synchronous) class hours. In order to receive a certificate of completion, you will need to give the course your full attention and have your video on to demonstrate your engagement. You should expect the Zoom sessions to be interactive and full of discussion, questions, and group activities.
A Group Learning Experience
You will learn in a cohort of your peers, with time spent in large and small group discussion. Small groups are arranged so that students with similar interests are in the same groups and get to know each other over time. This course is intentionally kept small at 10-14 participants, so you will have ample opportunity to come to know your fellow students as you learn together throughout the course.
Assignments
Each week you will have one short assignment. Your assignments will be completed independently and discussed in Zoom class. Here are some example assignments:
-
Share thoughts from your independent study book
-
Practice techniques for respectful care with a child or adult in your life
-
Watch and discuss a 30-minute recorded lecture
-
Prepare a five-minute presentation of a concept for your small group
A Reasonable Time Commitment
You can expect to devote a total of 3 to 6 hours per week to this course, including Zoom discussion, assignments, reading, and videos. This includes:
-
2 hours in a live Zoom class, engaging in group activities and participating in discussion
-
1.5 hours watching prerecorded lectures and other videos independently
-
1 to 3 hours on reading and assignments
You may complete work early to distribute the time needed to complete the course.
You Will Need
There are a few required textbooks and other materials that you will need:
-
tech requirements:
-
access to a computer (not just a mobile device)
-
a consistent internet connection
-
Zoom for video conferencing
-
a web browser for our online course platform
-
a word processing application such as Word, Pages, or Google docs
-
-
additionally, choose one of the following three textbooks:
-
Your Self-Confident Baby by Magda Gerber
-
Respecting Babies by Ruth Anne Hammond
-
1, 2, 3 The Toddler Years by Irene Van der Zande
-
-
to borrow/optional: a baby doll of realistic size, with clothing and a diaper (example)
-
a collection of household items from your kitchen or loose parts from nature for free play
Questions?
Check out the FAQ below.
Tuition & What's Included
Your registration includes:
-
directed assignments
-
8 hours of live online instruction via Zoom
-
6 hours of recorded lecture and other videos (approximately 1.5 hours per week)
-
access to the instructor's office hours for questions and help
-
a digital copy of the RIE® Nurturing Nanny™ handbook
-
digital access to Magda Gerber's Educaring Approach, an Audio Guide for Nurturing Nannies and Other Caregivers.
-
access to a private Facebook group for graduates of the course, where you can ask questions and network to find good job opportunities
-
a digital certificate of completion, with a professional, full-color design
-
upon completion of the course, one free month of membership at Respectful Caregiving
-
the opportunity to join my official list of RIE® Nurturing Nannies™, which families and nanny agencies reference when placing nannies for families that use this approach
Tuition: $450 USD
-
Early Bird Pricing - use coupon code EARLYBIRD for 10% off if you register at least a month prior to course start date
-
Limited needs-based financial assistance is available
-
Nonrefundable installments available upon request
-
Peaceful Learning Alternative Nanny Agency is helping nannies afford this course. Any Peaceful Learning registered nanny will get a full reimbursement for the cost of the course if they are placed with a Peaceful Learning family full-time
Nannies who have taken the course say...
About Your Instructor: Christina Vlinder
I have been working with infants, toddlers, and older children in child care and private homes since 1999. I began my career with some ideas about what I didn't want to do, but no concrete plan for what I did want to do. I worked with many families and slowly began to figure out what felt right. Once I began studying child development in a more rigorous way, I was able to relate those gut feelings to the huge body of scientific knowledge we now have about what children need and what helps them thrive.
I discovered that the approach that most accurately satisfies both my gut and the research about infants and toddlers is the Educaring Approach (also known as RIE for Resources for Infant Educarers), created by infant specialist Magda Gerber. I began studying with RIE in 2010 and became a RIE Associate in 2017.
Since then, I have taught RIE Parent-Infant Guidance™ Classes, RIE Before Baby™, RIE Nurturing Nanny™ and RIE Foundations. I have served as a guest speaker at conferences and podcasts, hosted local events, and led workshops for large groups of learners. I look forward to sharing what I know with you and to hearing your thoughtful questions and feedback.
As this is a certified RIE course, I participate in a peer mentoring program. You can expect one or two other RIE Associates or Pathways students to be either observing or actively participating in instruction during the course.
Upcoming Courses
(no courses currently available)
Looking for a possibility not listed here? If you have a group of 10-14 people who would like to take the course, you can contact me to schedule a private course.
-
Can you help me find a RIE® nanny?We can try! Since Respectful Caregiving trains nannies, we do sometimes hear from nannies that are looking for work. Please fill out this form and we will let you know if an easy match comes to mind. We will also forward your information to our partner nanny agencies, who are familiar with helping families find nannies that use this approach. If you do not want to use an agency and are local to the SF Bay Area, you may want to try posting in the Berkeley Parents Network or in the Facebook group RIE in Northern California. Most nannies with RIE training charge $35-$50/hour and are looking for full time work. If this is outside your budget, the best approach is to find a nanny you love without RIE training who is interested in learning and send them to the RIE® Nurturing Nanny course.
-
Can you help me find a job as a nanny?It's worth trying! We get many, many requests from families looking for nannies, and relatively few requests for nannies looking for work, so the odds are good. If you have not yet taken RIE® Nurturing Nanny™ or RIE Foundations™, this is a good first step. Families who are interested in this approach look for these qualifications when hiring. The next step is to fill out this form, and we will let you know if an easy match comes to mind. We will also forward your information to our partner nanny agencies, who are familiar with helping nannies find jobs with families that use this approach.
-
Will you be my nanny?While both Melissa and Christina do nanny work, our schedule is currently full. If that ever changes, we will offer our availability to the Respectful Caregiving mailing list, which you can subscribe to at the bottom of the page.
-
Can you train my nanny or childcare provider in RIE®?Yes! We can teach any nanny that is actively curious about the approach. You can sign your nanny up for RIE® Nurturing Nanny™, a course designed to introduce nannies and childcare providers to the Educaring® Approach (RIE). You can go ahead and register your nanny for the next course. If your nanny would like more advanced training, the next step would be the RIE Foundations™ course. We can also help train and support your nanny via individual sessions. Check consulting availability and book a session. More tips on training your nanny here!
-
Can you consult with me, either in person or over the phone?Yes, we would love to! You can book a session online here.
-
Can you help me find a playgroup or RIE® Parent Infant Guidance™ class?The best place to look is on RIE.org. If you are local to the SF Bay Area and surrounding counties, you can also join the Facebook group, RIE in Northern California, and find a playgroup or other families to spend time with. If you live in a different area, try searching for a local Facebook group and posting there.
-
Can you appear on our podcast, write an article for our newsletter, or teach at a conference I am organizing?Yes! We would love to speak to your audience on a variety of infant and toddler topics, and both Melissa and Christina are experienced with educating groups of 5 to 100+ people. From webinars to podcasts to conferences, there are many possibilities. Pricing varies depending on the type of presentation, length, and your audience. We are happy to find solutions that scale appropriately to the size of your audience. Use the Other Inquiries form at the bottom of the page to arrange the details. We also welcome the opportunity to write for your online or print audience. You may reuse the articles already on this website with permission, or you can use the contact form below to request something different.
Other Offerings
Attachment Theory
For Nannies
Attachment Theory is the primary theory for how infants and toddlers develop during the first three years of life. In this self-paced online course, you will have an opportunity to learn how babies form their first relationships and how the quality of these relationships has a profound impact on the rest of their life.
Scholarship Fund
Every session, there are many students who would like to learn about better ways of caring for infants and toddlers but who can't afford the cost of the course.
Respectful Caregiving scholarships come from two places: donations and our Amazon affiliate program. The affiliate program sends a small portion of each sale you make after clicking on one of our Amazon links to the scholarship fund. So, thank you for using links from this site!
You can also make a difference by donating. 100% of your donation goes to scholarships. Thank you for helping others to improve the lives of infants and toddlers!
