nurtured child

About Us

Learn more about our spaces and our facilitators

A resource center for parents and caregivers

Nurtured Child is a resource center in the heart of New York City that promotes respectful, harmonious care for the wellbeing of children, parents and caregivers.

RIE facilitators Anna Ruth and Leith setting up the play space inside the Nurtured Child studio 
our Spaces

Play, discover and move in our lovingly-prepared play spaces

With locations in Brooklyn and Manhattan, our play spaces offer young children the opportunity to experiment, explore, and discover based on their own interests. We select play objects and movement materials based on each child’s developmental level. As the children play, parents have the opportunity to observe their children and find pleasure in what they see. 

  • • They enjoy the peace and calm of a carefully prepared environment

    • They take pleasure in their own self-determined activity

    • They feel safe with the attentive presence of their caregiver/ caregivers

    • They move and play at their own pace

    • They find their own solutions to problems that arise

    • They develop initiative and autonomy

    • They have the opportunity to interact with other children with facilitator support as necessary

  • • You are with your child in a peaceful, calm environment free from many of the common distractions of the outside world

    • You can actively observe your child and get to know them even better

    • You can accompany your child and witness their unfolding and growth on their way to early independence

    • You have the opportunity to engage with the facilitators and other parents as well as discuss any questions or thoughts or concerns that come to mind

    • You can sit back and relax and look forward to your child and simply "enjoy" your time together

  • “A toddler is always learning. The less we interfere with the natural learning process, the more we can observe how much children are constantly learning.” - Magda Gerber

our studios
Nurtured Child Studio in Dumbo, Brooklyn, New York
Nurtured Child logo with tagline Growing in Harmony

Locations

Dumbo, Brooklyn

Our flagship RIE®-dedicated studio is located in the heart of Dumbo, Brooklyn. Established in 2016, we are proud to share that Nurtured Child Dumbo was the first full-time RIE-dedicated studio in New York City.

Nurtured Child Studio in East Village, Manhattan, New York

East Village, Manhattan

We are proud to be able to give Manhattan families the opportunity to play and rest in the oasis of calm that is the historic St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery located in the East Village, Manhattan. It has been a vibrant home for arts and culture in New York City since 1799.

  • “Parenting or raising a child is an impossible profession. The most impossible profession. Number one, we raise children with the knowledge of the past. It’s already obsolete. Because we raise them the way we were raised and what we are learning. And they will live in a future that nobody knows what it will be like. So the whole thing is absurd. And then the question is, if we accept the absurdity, are there certain qualities — human qualities — that will be good for this great unknown future?” - Magda Gerber

meet the team

Our Facilitators

Nurtured Child Founder and Facilitator Anna Ruth Myers

Anna Ruth Myers

founder & CO-DIRECTOR

Anna Ruth Myers, MA is the founder of Nurtured Child, an early parenting program based on the peaceful and respectful approaches to infant care and education developed by Dr. Emmi Pikler and Magda Gerber. 

Anna Ruth is an early years specialist with over 20 years of experience supporting families and young children. A Pikler® Pedagogue candidate and RIE® Associate, her work is guided by the profound insights of Dr. Emmi Pikler and Magda Gerber. As a certified doula, childbirth and lactation educator, she has worked with hospitals and birth centers to advocate for respectful infant care from birth. Anna Ruth also holds diplomas in both Montessori and Waldorf education and has completed 2 study tours in Reggio Emilia. She is on the board of Pikler Loczy USA. 

Growing in Harmony tagline
Nurtured Child Facilitator Leith Speer Barton

Leith Speer Barton

CO-DIRECTOR

Leith Speer Barton is a RIE® Associate, Certified Parent Coach, Fair Play Facilitator and mother of two. 

After taking Anna Ruth’s classes with her first child, Leith’s love of the Educaring® Approach blossomed. She took RIE Foundations: Theory and Observation™ in 2017 in Los Angeles and over the following 5 years was fortunate enough to train with Anna Ruth and several other RIE Associates and RIE Mentors including Elizabeth Memel, Jill Getto Lee, Anita Cooper Ebright, and Melissa Coyné. Leith became a RIE Associate in 2022. In addition to co-facilitating in-person RIE Parent-Infant Guidance™ classes with Anna Ruth, Leith also coaches parents 1-on-1 virtually worldwide.

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