Jackie Rosenberg, O.T.R. is the owner and founder of Babies First Class® and an esteemed child development expert. Jackie personally teaches parents and loves helping them navigate and celebrate their children’s first two years of life. She prides herself on bringing an extensive knowledge base and personal approach to her clients.
Jackie holds a B.S. in Occupational Therapy from USC, specializing in the field of child development and sensory integration dysfunction. Her training also included work in psychology at the Neuropsychiatric Institute at UCLA. She worked as an occupational therapist at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital in Downey, California, where she became Senior Therapist and Supervisor on the Pediatric Unit. While there, Jackie’s primary focus was developmental testing and the rehabilitation of neurologically and physically challenged children (birth - 5 years). Later in her career, she worked at the Hyland Clinic, where she concentrated on testing and rehabilitation of children with sensory integration dysfunction.
When Jackie gave birth to her own children, she took a break from the work force to care for them full-time. During this period, she often found herself using her expertise to enlighten other mothers about parenting, development and play. She realized that her fellow moms were seeking a level of information and guidance that they weren’t getting elsewhere, and an idea for a different kind of class began to develop in her mind.
The true catalyst for Babies First Class® was the premature birth of Jackie’s nephew, who weighed in at a mere 1 lb.,13 oz. Jackie worked with him in the NICU, utilizing her occupational therapy skills to provide stimulation in order to facilitate his development. Many of the mothers there became interested in what Jackie was doing with her nephew. She offered to help them with their preemies when they were released from the hospital. Her first class was on the floor of her living room with her sister and three other moms of premature infants.
In 1987, Jackie created the Preemie Progress Group in Woodland Hills, California. Her focus was teaching new moms of premature infants about development, positioning for play and appropriate sensory stimulation. In 1988, she moved to the back room of a toy store called The Power of Play in Sherman Oaks, California. She expanded her class to include full-term babies, in addition to preemies. She also helped select appropriate developmental toys for the store to sell. In 1991, she changed the name of her class to Babies First Class® and moved the business to its own location in Sherman Oaks, California. After 35 years in the Sherman Oaks space, Jackie made the decision to transition to virtual classes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today, Babies First Class®, a.k.a. “Jackie’s Class,” includes classes for first-time parents, twins, and second-time parents, as well as evening workshops. Babies First Class® has received numerous accolades both locally and nationally, and Jackie has been featured in The Today Show, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and others. In 2008, at a luncheon in her honor, she was recognized with a “People Who Make a Difference” certificate by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
Jackie is a proud supporter of Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, the Oscar Litwak Foundation, and the Food, Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. She presently resides in Encino, California with her husband, Bob. She enjoys traveling, entertaining, Pilates, and most of all, spending time with her husband, children and grandchildren.
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