Christina Vlinder became a RIE® Associate and joined the RIE® Alliance in 2017. She has been studying Magda Gerber’s Educaring® Approach since 2011, and she has worked as a caregiver for babies and young children since 1999. Christina was an instrumental force in founding Bay Area Infant Toddler Network. She designed and maintains the BAITN website and organizes meetings for the purpose of peer mentoring. She also moderates the "RIE in Northern California" group for parents and caregivers on Facebook. Christina currently works as a nanny and offers various forms of parent education to families in the San Francisco Bay Area.

A faithful practitioner of the teachings of Magda Gerber since her discovery of the Educaring® Approach in 1997, Jennifer became a RIE® Associate in 2022. Jennifer has an enduring passion for promoting the importance of primary relationships from birth. She offers nurturing, respectful and holistic support and guidance for families in the perinatal year and beyond. ​ ​Jennifer offers “Free to Be…” parent-child classes, private family support and program consulting in Marin and Sonoma Counties through Heartful Birth. She is also a DONA-Certified Birth Doula, Certified Instructor of Infant Massage, and holds a Montessori ECE credential.

Jennifer Doebler is a RIE® Associate and mom who attended RIE® parent-infant classes with her children, now "tweens." She enjoys helping parents discover how RIE® concepts can help them deepen their bond with their infant or toddler, discover their child's competence and their own as a parent. Jennifer is RIE® Practicum mentor and a member of the RIE® Board. She has also completed Advanced-Level Pikler training. A graduate of Middlebury College, with an MBA from Columbia University, she worked as a marketing executive in the US and internationally, and ran her own business. Her experience gives her a unique understanding of transitioning from work to home.

Inspired by the work of infant specialist Magda Gerber and educator Maria Montessori, Lee currently offers "Discover Your Baby" and "Discover Your Toddler" RIE® certified Parent-Infant Guidance Classes™ in the SF Bay Area. Lee has 50 years of experience as a parent educator, trainer of child care professionals, administrator of child care programs, and author. She has a Master's Degree in Child Development, is a RIE® Alliance Associate, and is a Certified Montessori Teacher. Lee was fortunate to train with Magda Gerber directly, and Magda also served as her M.A. Thesis Advisor.

Leyla Momeny is a longtime educator, a parent of two, and a RIE Associate. She studied Philosophy, her first love, at UCLA. After a decade spent in education and while her first child was a young toddler, she discovered the beautiful work of Magda Gerber and Dr. Emmi Pikler and completed the multiyear RIE certification process in 2017. She is the creator of a course + support group hybrid called Attuned & Aware. She has taught classes and workshops at Day One, Natural Resources, and at Recess Urban Recreation. ​ She believes that children have a right to be understood and seen for where they are and who they are. For adults, a part of this understanding and seeing involves internalizing developmentally-appropriate expectations for children and proactively creating environments that will enable them to thrive. She is passionate about helping parents and caregivers in this process.

Patty Ryan is a passionate advocate for improving the quality of care for infants and toddlers and respect for families. Patty trained with Magda Gerber at Resources for Infant Educarers®, at the Pikler Institute in Budapest, Hungary and at the Program for Infant, Toddler Caregivers at WestEd. Patty is a founding member of the Sacramento Valley Infant, Toddler Network and is a RIE® Certified Mentor Teacher for Resources for Infant Educarers. She is currently completing her Master's Degree in Human Development, with a specialization in Early Childhood Development, at Pacific Oaks College. She has published articles for a variety of professional journals, worked with thousands of caregivers and parents, and offered training services on the local, state, national and international levels.

Rebecca Bowler has been a RIE® Associate since 1994 and a member of the RIE® Alliance since 2008. A former RIE® nanny, Rebecca is fortunate to have trained with Magda Gerber. Rebecca has been practicing Esalen Massage® since 1994 and works in Sales/Marketing. Blessed with a pre-teen daughter who was once a RIE® Baby, Rebecca is passionate about RIE® parenting & community, Waldorf education, gardening, theater, and anything orange. She plans to offer RIE® Parent-Infant Guidance™ and RIE® Before Baby classes in Marin in the future.

Arielle has spent most of her career supporting babies, parents & families. Having formally studied RIE® since 2003, Arielle’s approach to being with babies and young children is based on the fundamentals of RIE, as well as her core belief in simplified parenting and treating babies and children with love and respect. Arielle’s additional experience includes being the founder and manager of the Family Services Program at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, where she facilitated a weekly RIE-inspired parent/infant playgroup, taught parenting classes, and trained over 1,000 service providers/educators on how to support the needs of LGBT families. Arielle is also a birth doula and former nanny.

Yu received her Ph.D. in Human Development from Cornell University. In 2015, she discovered RIE® in her search for optimal care for infants and toddlers, and have since then included the Educaring Approach® in her study and child-rearing practice. Besides RIE®, Yu is attending Feldenkrais professional training and advanced training focusing on early development. She also studies Ericksonian Hypnosis, and becomes a professional member of the International Association of Generative Change. These diverse directions of learning reflect Yu’s long-term inquiry into developing a path to well-being from the beginning of a person’s life. Now she is the founder of In Truth, sharing her learning to families with babies in the Chinese community.

Caroline was inspired to learn more about Magda Gerber's Educaring® Approach after experiencing how the Approach transformed her relationships with her son and partner. Caroline is passionate about helping families and caregivers create authentic, respectful relationships with children, as well as experience the joy that comes from allowing infants and toddlers the freedom to develop and discover at their own pace. ​ After beginning her career as a middle and elementary school teacher, Caroline has spent the last decade at the National Writing Project, where she collaborates with educators nationwide to improve writing and learning. She has a teaching certificate and BA from Vassar College and a Master’s degree from the University of San Francisco.

Kristen is a mindful professional early childhood consultant dedicated to helping to build respectful collaborative relationships from birth. Her passion in this world is empowering parents, teachers, nannies and the infants & toddlers in their care. She is honored to have so many opportunities to help lay the secure foundations of care that contribute to the development of incredible adults. Kristen's work has spanned from private homes to pre-schools and the Boys and Girls Club, to workshops and beyond.

Shiva Behrouzi is an early childhood advocate with a BA in Communications who developed a passion for RIE® while staying at home and caring for her first child. She realized how RIE® has the capacity to change the lives and relationships of so many children while enriching the parenting experience. She is an open supporter of this philosophy and has started Facebook Groups in the San Francisco bay area in an effort to connect families who are implementing this philosophy or have an interest to deepen their understanding of it. She's currently offering Respect Based Parenting classes through her local community center as well as phone/video/in-person consultations.

Jesse feels honored to help parents nurture themselves and enjoy a playful, respectful family life. She is the founder of Weave In Wonder, a blog that shares Jesse's experiences with RIE® within her own family and the benefits of meaningful self-care. Jesse has worked as middle school history teacher which was a real treat, and is currently a stay at home mom who offers child-led playgroups in the South Bay for babies and toddlers. For updates about playgroups and future Magda Gerber inspired classes, feel free to subscribe to her newsletter or join Bay Area Whole Child Activities group on Facebook.

Cassie is the primary caregiver at Blue Leaf. She graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a degree in Elementary Education and has been a preschool educator ever since. She has worked as a teacher, curriculum director, and executive director, overseeing and helping to start succesful and prestiguous preschools. Since having children of her own, Cassie became inspired by the work of Magda Gerber, and began studying RIE®. Cassie brings her respectful and caring personality, her endless and growing knowledge of childcare, and years of experience teaching in and operating a preschool.