Ferne’s Montessori journey began over 20 years ago as the owner and operator of Down Under 3, a Montessori based learning centre for babies and toddlers in Sydney, Australia. Through her work with parents and carers she began facilitating the hugely successful Faber and Mazlish parent workshops “How to Talk so Kids will Listen” and “Siblings without Rivalry” and developed a “Toileting Independence” workshop which earned her the nick-name “The Poo-Poo Guru”.
Since founding The Independent Child in 2016 she has provided training and support for hundreds of families on setting up environments for independence, effective communication skills and practical strategies for dealing with challenging behaviour. Recognised for her personally developed Supporting Freedom and Self-Discipline workshop, her Independent Toileting program and her expertise in early childhood development and communication, she consults to parents all over the world as well as to early childhood educators and Montessori organisations in Australia and New Zealand.