Postpartum + Newborn Care

Academic Support + Tutoring

Caregiving

Parent Education + Coaching

Classes for Infants, Toddlers and Grownups

Denise Yankou

Hi, my name is Denise. I am a certified teacher, caregiver, and postpartum doula who provides identity-affirming, culturally responsive care and education for infants, young children, and families.


How does it feel to be truly seen?

In the classroom or in your home…

Supporting a new parent with their baby or a child with their academic success…

From the youngest newborn to the most experienced caregiver…

My goal is to see everyone for who they truly are, leading with the 3 Rs of early care and education:

Reciprocity Responsiveness Respect


Credentials at a glance:

M.S.Ed. from Bank Street College of Education

I studied Infant and Family Development and Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special and General Education. This program included one year of supervised fieldwork in two inclusive, mixed-age infant/toddler classrooms.

Early Childhood Special and General Dual Certification, New York State Department of Education

I am also an approved SETSS (Special Education Teacher Support Services) provider with the New York City Department of Education.

RIE® Pathways Student

Often credited as the origin of the “respectful parenting” movement, RIE® (Resources for Infant Educarers) informs much of my work. RIE® Pathways is an intensive, yearslong, supervised training program with infants, toddlers, and families. Learn more about RIE® and Educaring® here.

CAPPA-Trained Postpartum Doula

This training provided a comprehensive overview of newborn care and postpartum support, building on decades of my experience and education with parents and newborns. In February 2025, I will start pursing DONA postpartum doula certification through Lumninous Postpartum.

Full Spectrum Lactation Educator in Training, Birth Advocacy Doula Trainings

From its website, Birth Advocacy Doula Trainings “is a Black-owned, queer-run doula training organization… courses are designed to be socially conscious, culturally appropriate, diverse, and action-oriented.”

DIRFloortime® 101 Graduate

The International Council on Development and Learning’s DIRFloortime® is an approach that uses playbased, connection-centered learning interventions. It prioritizes relationships over behavior modification and is a popular alternative to applied behavior analysis (ABA).

Explore how Denise can help your family.

Learn more about Denise.

What parents say:


“We are so grateful… You have a gift for what you do.”

— E. M.

“L. is my third and you are making this magical all over again.”

— C. P.

“It is amazing to watch her with my spirited children. My kids are both really struggling emotionally and one of them is struggling academically and I have been able to rely on her in a myriad of ways since they were both very little.”

— L. Y.

“Thanks so much for coming over and coaching!! I feel like I took away so many strategies.”

— D. J.

Get in Touch