Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE pronounced “rye”) is a non-profit educational organization founded in 1978 by Magda Gerber and Dr. Tom Forrest. RIE offers a unique approach to infant care inspired by renowned pediatrician Dr. Emmi Pikler which Magda Gerber called Educaring. This approach promotes a way of seeing infants and toddlers that enables adults to form close, authentic relationships with them through observation, attentive care, and basic trust in their natural abilities. Magda Gerber created a groundbreaking model for parent education through her RIE parent-infant guidance classes, where participants are encouraged to sit back, relax and learn from their baby’s natural self-directed activities.

Designed around your child’s self-directed movement and play, we allow infants and toddlers to freely move, explore, play, and engage with other infants. This is how children are designed to learn and grow.

After families arrive and settle in the play space, we begin with a short warm-in period where we greet one another. The adults then sit back and watch the children play with minimal interruption. When our period of quiet observation is finished, we discuss what we observed. At this time, parents and caregivers have an opportunity to bring up any questions they may have about parenting and child development.

During the observation period, Anna Ruth and Leith practice selective intervention which models when and how to help the children interact safely and respectfully with each other and their environment.

The pace will feel intentional and calm. Our goal is for discussions to feel supportive and informative.

In-person classes are generally organized by stage of motor development and age. Infants who are still lying on their backs are grouped together, as are locomoting infants who are able to crawl, and toddlers who can walk. Age varies. You can learn more here.

Infants: Approximately 2-7 months

Locomoting Infants: Approximately 8-13 months

Young Toddlers: Approximately 14-24 months

We encourage families to attend class for a minimum of one term to get to know it, understand the approach, and see the benefits. That said, you may drop at any time.

Classes are ongoing and payment is billed on a roughly 12-week term cycle. You can attend class for one term or keep going until the youngest child in your child’s group turns 2-years-old. Children and caregivers both benefit from the community-building that happens when groups stay together over time. For many, this is the most relaxing day of their week.

We believe that infants, toddlers and adults are best served by being with the same group over time. Being with a familiar group allows you and your child to feel more comfortable and relaxed. For this reason, we create intentional cohorts of families that stay together over time. As your child’s development changes, you won’t join a new group – the group you are in develops and shifts to the next stage of development naturally.

Babies are born knowing how to play. They have an intrinsic desire to explore and learn. By sitting back and noticing what our children chose to do, we are learning to trust them, their capacities, their efforts, and their unique developmental timeline.

Great question. To connect with our babies and each other through keen observation and warm conversation. Anna Ruth and Leith are also available to answer questions and offer insight and additional parenting resources as requested.

Anna Ruth and Leith are both RIE Associates and Early Year Specialists with 26 years of experience between them. More about Anna Ruth and Leith here.

Yes! Guests are welcome. Please inform us ahead of time and share what to expect (i.e. the adults in the space remain relatively calm and quiet so that the babies and toddlers are allowed to play freely with minimal interruption). Please let your guests know that we want the children to play independently so we ask the adults to please refrain from initiating play.

Dumbo, Brooklyn and the East Village, Manhattan in New York City. Details and addresses here.

Regular attendance in class helps the children and adults gain trust and security with the space and each other. Of course, most families will miss a class or two because things come up, that’s why our classes are on-going so familiarity and consistency can develop over time. This is also why we don’t offer make-up classes, and why classes are not transferable.