I have worked with children and families for more than two decades as a social worker, early childhood educator, caregiver, and now as a RIE®-trained parent educator and group facilitator.

I’ve logged thousands of hours directly caring for children and collaborating with families in determining the best ways to support the children in their care. I am committed to ensuring that the caregiving experience is sustainable and nurturing for parents while also being responsive to the needs of children.

I attended the University of Arizona and earned a B.S. in Family Studies and Human Development in 2008. In 2011 I graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a master’s degree in Social Welfare, with a concentration in Child and Family Services. I worked with at-risk children and families as a home visiting social worker before moving into the field of early childhood education where I worked as an educator in both a toddler and mixed age preschool classroom. From there I worked as a nanny and came to the realization that many families struggle with providing their children with thoughtful, supportive, and developmentally appropriate home environments.

I knew that efficiency, productivity and creativity all stem from a beautiful, functional environment that a child’s physical environment impacts their development in myriad ways. This understanding provided the inspiration to launch Laurel Johnson Consulting. In the early years of my business I worked with families exclusively around space design and implementation.

As I continued working with families in this capacity I became interested in learning more about Magda Gerber’s Educaring® approach for respectful infant and toddler caregiving (often referred to by the name of the nonprofit organization RIE® and pronounced “rye”). I had learned about this approach while working at a local preschool a number of years ago. Curiosity about this seemingly revolutionary approach for respectful caregiving was soon replaced by infatuation which has expanded into a deep fondness and admiration. Janet Lansbury’s popular blog, books and podcast were some of my first (and incredibly valuable) glimpses into the nuances of this intuitive and powerful approach.

I started (officially) on my RIE professional development journey in June 2018 where I completed the 60 hour RIE Foundations: Theory and Observation course in Seattle, WA with the intention of one day offering Parent-Infant classes. In December 2020 I finished my eight month supervised Practicum under the guidance of Eugene-based RIE Associate Alexandra Curtis. A few months later I was accepted into the RIE Internship program. I completed my first Internship in January 2023 with Pasadena-based RIE Associate Ruth Anne Hammond, my second Internship with Melissa Coyne (also Pasadena-based), and my third internship with St. Louis-based Shannon Carr. The RIE® board approved my Associate status in December 2023.

I like to spend my free time cooking, quilting, exploring the incredible wild spaces of the Pacific Northwest, trying to grow veggies, watching tiny house tours, practicing Vipassana meditation, snuggling with my pup, scouring secondhand stores and watching adventure films.

Headshot by Ryan Maher