If you are a nanny, both courses are open to you as options, and you may be wondering which one to take.
What the courses have in common:
Both are certified RIE courses, which means they are a standardized curriculum and can only be taught by a RIE Associate.
Both will help you learn more about Magda Gerber's Educaring Approach (RIE).
Both are open to both beginners and experts.
I teach both on the highly accessible Canvas Instructure platform, the same one used by many universities.
Both are designed to be accessible to people working and/or parenting full time.
Both include access to instructor office hours, one-on-one phone time with me.
Both courses offer payment in installments and opportunities for financial aid.
Both provide a digital certificate (but neither will certify you as a RIE professional...see the RIE Pathway if you are interested in that).
Nurturing Nanny is shorter and more affordable than Foundations, but Foundations is more comprehensive.
Many nannies appreciate that the Nurturing Nanny course content and certificate are specific to nannies, which helps them build their portfolio.
On the other hand, if you are interested in implementing this approach in other ways than nanny work—for example, as a parent coach or in a childcare center—you might find Foundations a more appropriate place to start. Many nannies take Nurturing Nanny first and then take Foundations after that if they want to go deeper.
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Below is a chart that may help you understand what the two courses offer:
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Total course hours | 12 hours | 60 hours |
Cost | $450 | $1395 |
Intended audience | Nannies or those training to be nannies only. Includes specific applications and discussions for nannies. | Many different professionals that work with children, including nannies, as well as parents |
Synchronous Zoom hours | 8 hours | 24 hours |
Student commitment in hours per week (includes Zoom time and independent study) | 3 | 4-6 |
Topics covered |
Each of the four weeks has more than one topic, and thus is not as in depth as Foundations. |
An entire week is devoted to each topic, so there is time to go in depth. |
Required reading | Read/listen to one RIE book of your choice, cover to cover | Read/listen to specific, topic-focused selections from 4 different books each week. Around 3x as much reading as Nurturing Nanny. |
Required assignments | Practice skills on the job, discuss in class (nothing to write or turn in) | Turn in assignments every week.
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Tech requirements | Requires a stable internet connection. Desktop computer recommended, although most tasks can be completed with a mobile device. Mobile app access. | Requires a stable internet connection. Desktop computer recommended, although most tasks can be completed with a mobile device. Mobile app access. |
Certificate | Digital certificate verifies that you took the course. | Digital certificate verifies that you took the course. |
Do you have questions remaining? Feel free to reach out to me for more information. I hope to see you in class soon!