REPORT CARD
STUDENT Ariana Birnbaum
GRADUATED Thornlea Secondary School
BEST SUBJECT Math
WORST SUBJECT English
CURRENT JOB Founder, Becoming Maternity
WITH A LAW degree from the University of Toronto and an MBA from the University of Chicago, Ariana Birnbaum sports the credentials of someone you might expect to see leading a Fortune 500 company or arguing a high-profile case in court.
Then again, Birnbaum, 38, who graduated from Thornlea Secondary School, did give the corporate world a whirl, working as a management consultant for a few years. But once she and her husband conceived their first baby, Birnbaum noticed that there wasn’t much in the way of a central hub for expectant parents seeking support and information.
There were classes in various church basements but nothing consolidated with a focus on community, she says. So Birnbaum directed her considerable smarts at creating the Becoming Maternity and Parenting Centre.
Located on Eglinton Avenue at Avenue Road, the centre is a one- stop resource for parents, from the time they find out they’re pregnant to the time the child begins school.
Birnbaum teaches some of the classes herself, but she mostly manages the business side of things. A registered nurse and perinatal specialist provides medical expertise to the group.
Classes cover topics such as preconception, early pregnancy, Caesarean section, breast-feeding,
new parenting and more.
Now, nearly four years after opening the centre, Birnbaum is looking to open up a second location.
Starting a business is no easy task, but Birnbaum learned a thing or two about entrepreneurship during her time at Thornlea Secondary.
Birnbaum switched from a more rigid school in Grade 11, and the transition actually helped instill in her a sense of responsibility, she says.
Mr. Gelman, Birnbaum’s English teacher, taught Birnbaum the value of classroom discussions.
“There was a lot of discussion in the class; he didn’t just stand in front and talk,” Birnbaum remembers. Having open discussions generated interaction — something that is central to the Parenting Centre experience today.
“It’s about providing a supportive, open place for people to go when they’re experiencing one of the biggest changes of their lives,” Birnbaum says. “We’re really trying to make a difference in people’s lives.”
