Teacher Kira - Our Parenting Place

09/07/2026

09/07/2026

Can we allow others the freedom to simply be?

✨ Mark your calendars! ✨

RIE Foundations: Theory & Observation

🗓Sept 5 – Oct 10 Saturdays with Jill Getto Lee

⏰ 9 am – 4 pm PST

💻 Online

**er

09/07/2026

08/04/2026

Learning doesn’t wait for teaching.

✨ Mark your calendars! ✨

RIE Foundations: Theory & Observation

🗓Sept 5 – Oct 10 Saturdays with Jill Getto Lee

⏰ 9 am – 4 pm PST

💻 Online

**er

07/04/2026

Dragon Mom: Confessions of a Child Development Expert

Janet Gonzalez-Mena's beloved Dragon Mom is back in the store. Have you ever wondered what really goes on in the homes of child development experts? Do they follow their own advice? Janet Gonzalez-Mena, author of six college textbooks and the weekly column "From a Parent's Perspective," reveals the truth with her characteristic wit and frank honesty: the gap between her expert self and the passionate "Dragon Mom" known only to her own household. Toilet training, anger, bedtime, messes, responsibility... it's all here.

07/03/2026

When our children were little, one of the moms in our community quietly took it upon herself to create the Village. She connected people, organized get-togethers, big holiday performances, and checked in on everyone... We called her our Mary Poppins. ❤️
Then, as life does, our babies grew into young adults. We stayed connected on social media and chatted every once in a while.
We recently reconnected, and during our conversation, I realized something surprising.

She had absolutely no idea what I actually do for work. 😂
She thought I taught children sitting at little desks!
Meanwhile, I was convinced that I talked about my work (which is also my life's passion) so much that all my friends were secretly scrolling past my posts.

Apparently... not. 😄

So maybe it's time for a little introduction.
✨ I work with very young children and their parents.
✨ Every week we gather for 90 minutes in our beautiful, castle-like Pasadena RIE studio. The babies get the gift of uninterrupted play, exploration, movement, and interaction. The parents get something just as valuable: a chance to slow down, observe, ask questions, and see their child with fresh eyes. They learn through discussion, observation, and the examples I model during class.
✨ I work for an organization called RIE®. The funny part? In Russian, "RIE" sounds exactly like the word for paradise (or heaven). So I often tell my friends, "I'm going to work in heaven," and technically... I'm not lying. 😄
RIE stands for Resources for Infant Educarers®, a nonprofit organization co-founded by Magda Ge**er and pediatric neurologist Tom Forrest, M.D., in 1978.
✨ And finally... Educaring® is much more than an educational approach. For me, it's a way of living and a way of being with other humans—including the very youngest ones.
The ideas are beautifully simple, but not always easy to practice.

We work on things like:
• slowing down,
• telling children what we're about to do before we do it,
• being fully present,
• respecting even the smallest person's thoughts, feelings, and competence.
Simple? Yes.
Easy? Not always.
That's why we practice together one interaction at a time.
So... if you've ever wondered what I actually do all day, now you know.

07/03/2026

Doing one more class setup before my trip... and I'm already missing everyone.

I seem to get a little more sentimental every year. ❤️

Wishing all of my wonderful families a beautiful summer filled with play, connection, and sweet everyday moments.

See you in September! 🌿