PROFILE

Emily McDonald is a parent educator at Being with Baby facilitating Parent & Baby Classes and workshops on infant & toddler care, influenced by Magda Gerber's Educaring® Approach. She has been a passionate Early Childhood Teacher in Perth, WA for 7 years, studied the Reggio Emilia Approach to Education in Italy in2013, completed her RIE® Foundations Course in LA in 2015 with RIE® Associate Patricia Ryan, in 2016 completed her RIE® Practicum under the mentorship of both Patty and RIE® Associate Sharon Smith, and Emily is currently completing her RIE® Internship. Emily has two young sons and a daughter who inspired her journey into respectful care of infants & toddlers.

Emily McDonald

PROFILE

Michelle Richardson is an early childhood teacher, who is passionate about the rights of infants and toddlers, and is particularly committed to advocating for quality pedagogy for infants and toddlers in group care settings. She works in the not for profit children’s services sector in Sydney in a senior management role. Michelle discovered the work of Magda Gerber and Dr Emmi Pikler in 2007 and since has completed both the RIE Foundations Course and Pikler Level one training, in Budapest Hungary.

Michelle Richardson

PROFILE

Peta Gibson has an AMI Assistants to Infancy (0-3) Diploma and is the Director of an innovative Under Three's Program at Cameragal Montessori School in Sydney that successfully combines best practice from both Montessori pedagogy and the Piklerian approach. She has presented workshops & keynotes at Montessori Conferences in Australia and New Zealand. and completed the RIE Foundations: Theory and Observation in Los Angeles (2013), Pikler courses for Professionals in Budapest (2014, 2015, 2016 & 2017), and Pikler Training through Pikler Loczy USA (2015 & 2016).

Peta Gibson

PROFILE

Rose has over 25 years’ experience in early childhood education in New Zealand and Australia. Over the last 15 years Rose has held positions with State Government in policy development, regulation and compliance of children’s centres and in senior management overseeing the development and operation of early childhood and outside school hours care centres. Rose holds qualifications in early childhood education, adult education and business management and has a particular interest in the development of children under 3 years of age completing studies of Magda Gerber and Dr Emmi Pikler’s work. Rose volunteers on a number of early childhood committees within NSW as an advocate of young children.

Rose

PROFILE

Dr Katherine Bussey, is a passionate infant and toddler specialist and advocate from New Zealand living in Melbourne. She has spent the last 16 years actively learning about, and developing practice in, NZ early childhood education based on the Pikler® approach and Magda Gerber’s Educaring Approach (RIE®). She is currently working on the process of becoming a Pikler pedagogue. Katherine mentors and provides professional learning and development to educators, engaging in inspiring critical reflection, learning and growth in infant and toddler teams.

Dr Katherine Bussey

PROFILE

Kate Russell is a parent educator at Peaceful Parents, Confident Kids, where she facilitates classes for parents interested in understanding more about raising their children respectfully. A former school teacher, Kate has spent many years researching, adopting and applying Magda Gerber's Educaring Approach in her work and more recently in her role as a mother to her three young children. Completing RIE Foundations - Theory and Observation training in Los Angeles last year provided her the stepping stone to enter into the RIE Associate mentorship program more recently. Her popular blog (Peaceful Parents, Confident Kids) advocates for the respectful treatment of infants and toddlers, encouraging parents to look inwards to help and answers to their parenting difficulties.

Kate Russell

PROFILE

Nellie Hodda is an early childhood educator whose work focuses on infants and toddlers in group care. For the past four years Nellie has been working as the nursery room leader in a not for profit service in Sydney. In this role Nellie has grown in her understanding of Magda Gerber's Educaring^® Approach and has worked to adapt the Educaring^® principles to guide centre practice in an Australian context. Nellie completed the RIE^® Foundations™ course in 2014 and is currently engaged in the RIE^® Practicum™ .

Nellie Hodda

PROFILE

Fiona owned, directed and taught in her own centre for ten years and has been in ECEC since 2004. Most recently, Fiona has been the Centre Director for a not for profit organisation where her interest in and understanding of Magda Gerber's Educaring approach and the Pikler approach developed.

She is an Early Childhood Teacher, and graduate of the RIE® Foundations Theory and Observation Course. Fiona completed Pikler® Autonomous Play Activity and Respectful Care and the Relationship with the Adult modules. Fiona is passionate about making a difference to the lives of children, families and educators in communities, driven by relationships and respect.

Fiona Veld

WORKSHOP

The most well-known ideas of the early childhood pedagogical principles of Emmi Pikler are probably those about the infant’s self-initiated motor development. Her research and writings about the significance of free movement, its practical implementation and the necessary conditions are widespread and popular.
 Dr. Emmi Pikler’s observations about the free movement of the infant open a new perspective in understanding not only the principles of motor development, but also it’s influence on the development of the young child’s personality.

Free Movement

Participants of the seminar can explore the intact, natural process of motor development, which can only be observed if we do not directly intervene in movement. Besides healthy motor development we also discuss slow development, gross motor equipment and the appropriate environment to support free movement. 
Course outline The significance of the transitional positions and movements Research conducted in the Pikler® Institute Why is it difficult for adults to accept the idea of free movement? How does free movement alter the adult’s attitude, and how does the quality of life of the infant change?