Dr. Deborah Laurin Ph.D

is an early childhood consultant, mentor, and codirector with the West Coast Institute Waldorf Early Childhood Teacher Training in British Columbia, Canada. She recently defended her Pikler thesis and is a certified Pikler® pedagogue. She serves on the scientific committee with Pikler®USA. At the heart of her work is advocacy for  children’s rights - exploring how participation with caregivers is vital to the child’s emerging sense of self. Learning about the remarkable work of Dr. Emmi Pikler and observing the caregivers at Loczy became the catalyst to study infant and toddler diaper care. Her visits to Loczy in 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2022 and participation in Pikler® USA and Budapest trainings inspired an empirical study on caregiver interactions and child wellbeing and involvement during diapering practices in infant and toddler group care published in Infant Mental Health Journal (2020). Debbie was humbled when invited to present her empirical study in June 2022 at the Pikler® House Advanced Care2 training.