My Baby & Me! • My Toddler & Me!
Infant/Toddler Playgroups by Sarah Piel and Gabrielle G. Felman
The first three years of life is a critical time in a young child’s development. It is also a time that elicits a variety of emotions and questions from parents and caregivers. Our playgroups offer a unique opportunity for babies or toddlers and their primary caregivers to build a community, learn from peers and the facilitators and have fun. Our playgroups provide an environment for children and their grownups to focus on social, emotional, experiential, and play-based learning, while becoming a part of an inclusive and culturally sensitive community.
The playgroup facilitators, Gabrielle Gainen Felman and Sarah Piel, have multiple specialties, including master’s degrees in early childhood general and special education, special certifications in infant and toddler development, social work, and family and early childhood mental health.
Classes meet on Mondays and are limited to 5 – 7 children with two facilitators. For registration information, please call Tricia Pool at 212/870-6743 or email tpool@wdsnyc.org.
My Toddler & Me! 9:15-10:15
(for toddlers 13 – 30 months and their caregivers)
My Baby & Me! 11:00-12:00
(for babies 6 weeks to 12 months and their caregivers)
Calendar Dates:
Jan: 28
Feb: 4, 11, 25
March: 4,11
April: 1, 8, 15, 29
May: 6, 13
MAKE-UP Date: 5/20
$650 for 12 week session
12 week session (runs 1/28-5/13)
Gabrielle Felman and Sarah Peil offer one-to-one coaching on numerous developmental themes, including, but not limited to:
- Sleep
- Potty training
- Behavior
- Transitions
- Developmental milestones
- Caregiver self-care
- Developmental variations
- Early Intervention and CPSE processes
Sarah H. Piel, MS.Ed
Infant & Toddler Development and Early Intervention
Early Childhood General & Special Education
Sarah designs and leads programs for children from birth to age five and their caregivers, presents on early and special needs education, conducts workshops at schools for parents and staff, and advises a toy company on appropriate materials for different stages of development.
She is currently a lead teacher and facilitator for programs such as the Bank Street Infant Toddler Parent Playgroups and the My Toddler & Me! Program at the Weekday School at Riverside Church. Her work in these groups focuses on the early development of social, emotional, and cognitive growth in young children and the role of their primary caregivers within that process. In her consulting work, Sarah leads both staff and parent workshops. Common program and workshop topics include: developmental milestones, sibling relationships, the preschool & childcare selection and application process, sleep, potty training, behavior, transitions, caregiver self care, and developmental variations. Sarah has worked as a Special Educator Itinerant Teacher (SEIT), specializing in individual support of children ages 3-5 in the classroom, through the Bank Street Family Center Home & Community Based Programs, as well as directly for private clients. She continues to conduct educational evaluations for CPSE. Sarah was a lead teacher for a 2s program at a private preschool on the Upper West Side, ran social groups for young toddlers, and assisted with preschool admissions. She has presented multiple times at the the annual Bank Street Infancy Institute Conference. Additionally, Sarah consults for Lovevery Baby, a company that specializes in developmental materials and toys.
She earned her BA from Hamilton College and her Masters of Science in Education from Bank Street College of Education. Sarah interned at the Bernard Pacella Parent Child Center at the New York Psychoanalytic Institute, working with mother/toddler dyad therapy groups. She has been a member of the Family Advisory Council at the Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital since 2011 and is a founding member of New York Early Childhood Professionals.
She is a lifelong New Yorker who resides in Morningside Heights with her husband and two teenagers.
Gabrielle Gainen Felman, MS. Ed, LMSW
Infant & Toddler Development and Early Intervention
Early Childhood General & Special Education
Parent Education & Support
Gabrielle is a leading expert in infant & toddler development and early intervention, special education and parent education and support, having specialized in these fields for over 10 years. Gabrielle designs and leads programs for children from birth to age five and their caregivers, presents on early and special needs education, conducts workshops at schools for parents and staff, and advises a toy company on appropriate materials for different stages of development.
Gabrielle is currently a lead teacher and social worker for various leading programs, including the Infant & Toddler Playgroups at Bank Street College, My Toddler & Me! Program at the Weekday School at Riverside Church, and BHS Baby 2nd Time Around! at Brooklyn Heights Synagogue. Additionally, Gabrielle runs play therapy sessions and works as a private Special Education Itinerant Teacher (SEIT), counseling children privately in school and at home. Her practice is play-based and concentrates on social & emotional learning, self regulation, family relationships and school success. In her consulting work, Gabrielle leads workshops for both parents and teachers. Common program and workshop topics include: developmental milestones, sibling relationships, the preschool & childcare selection and application process, sleep, potty training, behavior, transitions, caregiver self care, and developmental variations. Gabrielle has worked as a head preschool special education teacher at the Bank Street Family Center at Bank Street College of Education working as part of a clinical team. Additionally, she worked as a Special Education Itinerant Teacher (SEIT) for children 3-5 years old and a Special Instructor for children birth-3 years old.
Gabrielle earned a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and Psychology from Boston University. She earned her Master’s degree in Early Childhood General and Special Education from Bank Street College of Education and is certified and licensed in both General Education and Special Education. Additionally, she holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from Columbia University, completing her clinical residency at New York Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, focusing in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, High Risk OB/GYN, Pediatric Mental Health and the Sibling Program.