Dorothy Marlen

Course Leader & Early Childhood Expert

Dorothy Marlen is the course leader and one of three tutors for the Holistic Baby & Child Care course, a nationally accredited Diploma offered through Emerson College, an Anthroposophical adult education college. She originally trained as a Steiner Early Years kindergarten teacher and a counsellor, and has over 30 years’ experience of working with parents and carers of very young children.

Training in the Pikler approach at the Pikler Institute in Budapest and reaching the level of Certified Pikler professional, and gaining a postgraduate Diploma in Psychoanalytic Child Observation has brought a new depth and sensitivity to her understanding of the needs of the very young child. She has run Parent and Baby groups grounded in Pikler and Steiner wisdom for 16 years at York Steiner School. She also runs parent support groups and craft workshops there.

She co-founded the Pikler UK Association and was chair for 7 years. At the present time she is  the national Birth to Three representative on the Steiner Waldorf Early Years Steering group.

She offers consultancy to mainstream baby and infant rooms as well as in Steiner/Waldorf birth to three care settings. Dorothy has authored a book called The Parent and Child Group Handbook. Hawthorn Press and writes book chapters, articles for journals and magazines.