Seeing infants differently: Magda Gerber’s contributions to the early care and education field and their continuing relevance

Abstract

ABSTRACT A pioneer in the infant/family field in the United States, Magda Gerber was the founding director of Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE), known for its unique two-generation approach to the care and education of young children. This paper offers a summary of Gerber’s teachings from the late twentieth century with citations pointing to their historical theoretical underpinnings and highlights some more recent supportive research in affective neuroscience. The main goal of this article is to reflect on how significantly Gerber’s work has influenced child-centred standards for developmentally appropriate 0–3 care and education and early years’ workforce training in the U.S. The concluding section will touch on the continuing relevance of Gerber’s RIE Approach in light of twenty-first-century social trends and what would make it more widely accessible.