Claire Lerner

Claire is a nationally recognized child development and parenting expert with more than three decades of experience in education and direct practice. Claire partners with parents to decode their children's behavior and solve their most vexing childrearing challenges. She also trains pediatric residents in child development and parenting and provides mental health consultation at DC area preschools. In addition to her clinical work with families, Claire led the parenting division of Zero to Three for nearly 20 years, translating the science of early childhood for parents. Claire is the author of hundreds of parenting resources and two books: Why Is My Child in Charge? A Roadmap to End Power Struggles, Increase Cooperation, and Find Joy in Parenting Young Children (Rowman & Littlefield; 2021) and Big Reactors: Practical Strategies for Supporting Highly Sensitive Children (Bloomsbury, 2025.)