About

Stephanie Oppenheim is the co-founder of the independent consumer organization, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio (www.toyportfolio.com), along with her mother, noted child development expert Joanne Oppenheim. Together the Oppenheims have been reviewing children’s media since 1989. For the past 15 years the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio annual guide included the results of a year’s worth of reviewing (due to the lead safety issues they have cancelled this year’s edition). Their organization also started the Read It! Play It! Literacy Initiative – a series of books that encourage parents to both read and play with their children as a way of fostering a love of reading and developing language skills. The original title, Read It! Play it!, focuses on books every 3-8 should know and activities that relate to the 50 books reviewed and recommended. Read It! Play It! for Babies and Toddlers is now also available in Spanish. Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) uses the Read It! Play It! series in their literacy programs. Stephanie is also a Contributor to NBC’s TODAY Show and has appeared on Oprah, CNN, MSNBC, CBS Nightly News and Fox News. Prior to starting the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, she practiced corporate law in NYC. (Can you guess which job is more fun?) She also holds a Masters in Psychology from NYU with a specialization in parenting. She lives with her husband and two boys in NYC.