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Respectful Caregiving: Principles and Practice

Close up of happy Black mother holding her baby.

With this 16-week course, you will have an opportunity to learn about and put into practice principles for caring for infants and toddlers with respect. This course is of great benefit to both parents and caregiving professionals.

Each week, you will express goals you have for your own practice and have an opportunity to check in with others about how you are growing and learning. In this way, you can choose which topics to emphasize to suit your family or career. You will be guided through group instruction, small group discussions, and one-on-one connection with your instructor. Our easy-to-use online platform provides comprehensive support via videos, discussion boards, and interactive exercises.

The semester-long commitment of this course pays off in taking you from questions and doubts to confidence and implementation

About
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Who takes this course:

This course will benefit anyone who wants to implement respectful care of infants and toddlers in their family lives or profession, including: 

  • Parents

  • Grandparents and other relatives that care for children in the family

  • Child care staff & administrators

  • Nannies

  • Social workers

  • Early interventionists

  • Doulas

  • Infant mental health professionals

  • Newborn care specialists

  • Parenting coaches

  • and more!

Baby smiling at mother, close-up. Adorable newborn child looking up at mother and holding

Philosophical underpinnings

This course will help you put into practice principles of Respectful Caregiving. These include:

  • Respecting the authentically unfolding child

  • Trust in the child’s competence and their ability to seek and guide their own learning

  • Regular observation, the primary method for discovering the child’s authentic self and moment-to-moment needs

  • Allowing each caregiving adult to enjoy a secure attachment relationship with the child

  • Sincere invitations for the child to participate and connect during caregiving routines

  • A safe and challenging environment for play

  • Ample time for the child to play and freedom to choose the nature of their play

  • Clear, firm, and compassionate limits

Your learning will be guided by a thoughtful blending of the following child development theories. Our goal is to efficiently give you a good handle on the foundational principles these theories offer, so that you can focus on incorporating these ideas into your everyday life with infants and toddlers.

  • Magda Gerber’s Educaring® Approach (RIE®)

  • Ellyn Satter’s Division of Responsibility in Feeding

  • The Pikler Approach

  • Attachment Theory

Students will receive a Respectful Caregiving certificate upon course completion. For more information about course certification, please see the FAQ.

Office setting with Christina Vlinder's online Zoom class on the computer monitor.
Student with their dog in an office setting watching Christina Vlinder's online Zoom class on their computer.

What is class like?

This course is a mixed format that includes independent study, frequent observations, recorded lectures, online discussion, and interactive Zoom sessions.

Weekly Modules:

  • Orientation

  • 1. Introduction to Respectful Caregiving

  • 2. History and Theory of the Approach

  • 3. The Art of Observation

  • 4. Attachment Theory

  • 5. Natural Gross & Fine Motor Development

  • 6. Play

  • 7. Environments

  • 8. Diapering, Bathing & Dressing

  • 9. Feeding

  • 10. Sleep

  • 11. Setting Limits

  • 12. Working With Adults

  • 13. A Community Of Care

  • 14. Closing

  • Finishing Up

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 attend Zoom classes at the time they are held (up to two absences are allowed). You will need to give the course your full attention and to have your video on to demonstrate that engagement. You should expect the Zoom sessions to be interactive and full of discussion, brief lectures, videos, 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. Your small groups will be assigned based on the goals you express at the beginning of the course and are consistent to allow you to get to know each other well. This course is intentionally kept small at 12-15 participants, which gives you the chance to form a productive learning relationship with your fellow students and your instructor.

Independent Study

This course is a similar level of time commitment as a semester-long college child development course. Expect to spend around 4-6 hours on the course each week:

  • 1-2 hours in Zoom class, doing group activities and participating in discussion

  • 1-2 hours watching recorded lectures and other videos independently 

  • 1-2 hours on reading, journaling, and assignments

 

Observation and Practice Assignments

Each week, you will choose a way that you intend to put what you have learned into practice. This can reflect a big, overarching goal, or something small and concrete from that week’s work. This Practice for the week will always include a short Observation, ensuring that the work you are doing takes into account real-world information coming from the child in front of you. Each week, you will write something in your journal about what you experienced or learned from your Observation and Practice. Your journal becomes a tool for sharing your learning journey with your instructor and your future self.​

 

This course is designed primarily for those who spend time with infants and toddlers in their everyday lives. However, families expecting a child and those who are currently between childcare jobs can still attend the course and will be able to conduct weekly Observation and Practice using our library of videos and tailored suggestions from the instructor.

Other Assignments

In addition to the weekly Observation and Practice Assignments, you will be asked to complete

  • A mid-course self-reflection

  • A short presentation for your small group on a course topic that is of particular interest to you

  • An end-course self-reflection

Our goal is to support multiple modes of learning and to make the course as accessible as possible. For this reason, there are multiple options for these assignments and your weekly journal. You may type, handwrite, record a video, or schedule office hours with your instructors to complete your assignment in a dialogue format. We look forward to welcoming all students as they are and adapting the course to suit any individual needs that may arise. Read more about our welcome policy here.

Course Completion

All assignments in the course are graded on a complete/incomplete basis, with qualitative feedback standing in the place of a letter grade or percentage. In order to complete the course and receive a certificate, you will need to complete all assignments and attend all Zoom classes. To give you some flexibility, you can use a free pass on up to 2 assignments and up to 2 Zoom classes. If you need to be absent more than 2 times or need to miss more than 2 assignments, please contact us before signing up for the course.

Coursework
You Will Need

There are a few required textbooks and other materials that you will need to participate in the course:

Questions? 

Check out the FAQ below.

The cover of Magda Gerber's book, "Dear Parent: Caring for Infants With Respect."

Tuition & What's Included

Your registration for this course includes:​

  • a one-on-one introductory meeting with your instructor

  • live group activities and discussion via Zoom once a week

  • recorded lectures and videos to be watched independently

  • weekly directed assignments with qualitative feedback

  • access to instructor office hours for one-on-one help

  • access to the Respectful Caregiving Facebook group

  • upon completion of all course content, a certificate of completion

Tuition: $1,395 USD

  • Early Bird Pricing - use coupon code EARLYBIRD for 10% off if you register at least one month prior to course start date.

  • Limited needs-based financial assistance is available.

  • Nonrefundable installment plan available.

Students Say...

"This course is truly transformative and I would highly recommend it to both parent and non-parent caregivers. It is packed with useful evidence-based information and Christina does a wonderful job at delivering it thoroughly while capturing the essence of the Educaring approach. The online sessions were the highlight of my week and allowed for meaningful conversations with the instructor and the other students."

About Your Instructor:

Supplies
Tuition

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.

Professional headshot of Christina Vlinder.

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.

Respectful Caregiving courses welcome all families and caregiving professionals.

In order to participate in this course, you will be asked to agree to a code of conduct.

Upcoming Courses

Register
Winter/Spring 2026
Happy family with their baby..jpg

Instructor: Christina Vlinder

Sixteen Zoom sessions on Saturdays 10:00am - 12:00 noon Pacific Time
 

January 3, 10, 17, 24, 31

February 7, 14, 21, 28

March 7, 14, 21, 28

April 4, 11, 18

Spots open. Registration opens soon. Waitlisted participants get 2 weeks of priority registration. 

Register by December 6th with the code EARLYBIRD to receive 10% off on tuition.

Summer/Fall 2026
joyful mother playing with baby infant.jpg

Instructor: Christina Vlinder

Sixteen Zoom sessions on Saturdays 10:00am - 12:00 noon Pacific Time
 

Dates coming soon!

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 use the contact form to request 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.
FAQ

Other Offerings

Attachment Theory
For Nannies
Love of a mother and baby. Family in the

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.

Career Skills for Nannies
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Are you looking to improve your skills at the business aspects of being a nanny? Learn how to build a successful career in this self-paced online courses.

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!

A mother holding her newborn baby.
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