Veronica Mandelbaum
ABOUT ME
Hello, my name is Veronica and I am the Parenting Program Coordinator and Facilitator at Piper. I got my Masters from UCLA and am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I’ve been a practicing therapist for 20 years, working at UCLA, local mental health agencies and, for the last 10 years, in my own private practice.
Piper and I go way back. When my son was two and I was still a fairly new mother, figuring this parenting thing out, a friend of mine recommended I check out this great preschool in Santa Monica. I trusted this friend so I called and signed up for a tour, started the parenting program and well, the rest is history. I found my place, my people, support, and a community. So much so that I just had to be a part of the other side and started teaching parenting classes while my son was in class. I was hooked. I began teaching classes at the pump station and more and more classes at Piper. A second child and the pandemic led me to take a break but then when my daughter started at Piper, I realized how much I missed teaching parenting classes and that once she graduated from her Bluebell year, my time with Piper would be coming to an end.
It quickly became pretty clear that I wasn’t ready to move on and that I felt I had a lot more to give. Parenting classes are very special to me and were such an important part of my own journey as a mother. My role at Piper allows me to pay that gift forward. It allows me to pursue and dedicate my time and energy to my greatest passions, parenting, child development, supporting and helping other parents while providing a nurturing community.
PARENTING CLASSES
Baby Class
Think of the baby classes you’ve heard about, that everyone told you, you just had to take. I like to think of this class as that, a traditional parent and me class, in which you meet parents in the same phase of life, get out of the house, get to socialize, have your baby kick around, see other babies, and start to explore a world outside of their home. You’ll discuss baby topics, you know the biggies like sleep, feeding, milestones, sleep, sleep and did I mention sleep, but there’s more than just that, there’s a secret sauce if you will. In addition to what you would expect in a traditional parent and baby class, we will work to build a community, create traditions, memories, connect, bond, and learn from one another. Yes, you will get information, facts, how to help your baby grow and thrive, and how to support, bond, and nurture. You’ll get all the parenting tips, but we will also talk about the difficult sides of parenting, the fact that there are many ways to do it, and many ways to continually grow and improve as parents. We will discuss parent’s mental health, taking care of yourself, coping with the transitions, the parenting challenges and how to manage changing relationships. We will also focus on the fun, build a safe space for all, make friends, celebrate moments big and small, and create something you never knew you needed, but can’t imagine not having. Something that will follow you beyond the classroom and stay with you through your parenting journey. And there will be songs, songs that will also follow you, follow you to the car and home and get stuck in your head. There will also be bubbles, because who doesn’t love bubbles?
Toddler Class
It’s time to get up from that warm cozy circle and get moving. Toddler Class is the perfect bridge from Baby Class to Preschool. We will take it slow and steady. We will still talk about all the important topics pertaining to toddlers, like sleep, eating and nutrition, milestones, potty training and you guessed it, more about sleep. We will discuss all the sleep, from sleep regressions to naps, to fewer naps, to no naps, and transitioning from the crib to a bed. We will talk about creating family traditions, exploring the community with your little one and supporting their growth, and new need for independence while continuing to nurture that bond and attachment. We will tackle topics like new siblings, older siblings, no siblings, managing the toddler years, and your own changing needs and self-care.
What’s new and different in this class, compared to Baby Class is that it will focus on the specific needs and development of your now growing toddler. They will begin each class exploring their space with new toys, sensory devices, dramatic play materials, and learning tools. They will begin to engage in activities, art, collaborative work, and settle into a consistent class routine preparing them for school. The toys, songs, games etc. are chosen and will change throughout the program with the purpose of getting them comfortable and headed towards a successful introduction to preschool while still having you close, having opportunities to explore with you and sharing what they’re discovering with you. Kids will begin having snack time together and parents have time to chat with one another. Later in the class parents will have circle time and discuss those toddler topics and have time to ask questions because let’s face it, if you’re dealing with something, odds are everyone else is or will too: Never fear, the kids will join us in our circle and we will still sing some of the old songs and we will still have bubbles like we do in baby class to ensure a smooth and tear free transition for parents… oh, and for the kids too.