Jennifer Doebler
RIE® Associate/MA Human Development
Experience
After my first career in business, I had two babies in short order. Upon discovering Magda Gerber’s RIE approach to childcare, I was hooked, and didn’t go back to my old career. Infant and toddler development became my passion. I have been working with RIE® concepts since 2007, first as a parent, and now as a RIE Associate and educator. I want to “pass it on” because it was clearly life-changing for me…and I believe this respectful approach has the potential to change the world for the better.
I have had the pleasure of meeting and supporting hundreds of new families on their new parenting journey. In addition, I am a RIE Practicum mentor and sat on the Board of RIE for 4 years.
What I love about teaching RIE classes
It is a pleasure to help parents discover their baby’s competence and develop their own as a parent. Taking care of babies involves different skills than many of us use in our work life. Learning to read a baby’s cues, provide responsive care, and the right kind of support will give a baby the best foundation for life and allow parents to enjoy more and worry less. It is simple, but not easy.
Training/Education
In addition to completing the RIE professional training, I have completed Introductory and Advanced-Level Pikler training with Anna Tardos and Agnes Szanto. I have also completed the first year of Waldorf teacher training at the Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training.
I hold a BA from Middlebury College and an MBA from Columbia University. In 2020, I earned an MA in Human Development, specializing in infants and toddlers, from Pacific Oaks College, a pioneering leader in early childhood education and social justice, in Pasadena, CA.
Jennifer Doebler, RIE Associate
You don’t need (or want!) a prescription for every aspect of raising your child. Instead, RIE provides a way to appreciate and make space for the humanity, competency and ongoing growth of your infant or toddler. RIE provides a framework for seeing and being mindful, so you can consciously respond to your child and build the long-lasting, respectful, engaged relationship that will carry them through life.
More about me
I came late to parenting. Before having my first child, I worked in brand management, as a Marketing Director for Pfizer, the medicine company, in the US, managing some of the most helpful medicines in the world. I ran the marketing department at Pfizer Vietnam, and later returned to the US to launch one of the most recognized products in the world, then overseeing its launch in Asia (Japan, Korea, China), Africa and the Middle East. After that, I founded and ran Voltage — a marketing and technology consulting business — for 7 years, closing it a few weeks before I had my first child — the day I turned 40. I was so happy and thrilled to have a new baby and devote myself to her care — but I honestly felt quite unsure of myself in this new realm that was more about being than doing.
I read a few of the popular books of the time, but none of them felt right. Then my friend handed me Your Self-Confident Baby by Magda Gerber. Here, at last, was a woman who I felt understood the experience of being a new parent, the journey of taking on this role, and the true needs of children. I had met my mentor — even if only via her ideas in a book
Indigenous Land Acknowledgement
I acknowledge that I live and work on the ancestral homelands of the Lisjan Ohlone people, who tended to this place for thousands of years before us and who continue to inhabit the Bay Area despite many challenges, including over two centuries of genocidal policies and systemic racism. The Ohlone are federally unrecognized and therefore receive no rights, reservation land base, or other benefits from the U.S. government. Still, they persevere in their efforts to protect sacred sites and revitalize their cultural practices and language. I honor the resilience and knowledge of the Ohlone with gratitude. I give Shuumi to help rematriate the land via the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust.