Who We Are

Aubrey Hargis, M.Ed.
Teacher, Writer, Co-founder

Aubrey is a Montessori parent educator best known for her empathetic approach and appreciation for the magic of childhood. As a life-long Montessori advocate, former public school teacher, and AMS certified Lower Elementary guide, her passion has always been to bring Montessori into the mainstream.

She has written two child development books, Toddler Discipline for Every Age and Stage and Baby's First Year Milestones and is the lead instructor for all of Child of the Redwoods’ current programs. Her Big Dream? To make Montessori affordable and accessible to parents all over the world.

Aubrey and David founded Child of the Redwoods in 2017 to provide high quality, developmentally aligned online courses and curriculum to parents.

Loves: toddler footprints, the smell of the forest floor, silk pillowcases

David Hargis, M.A.
Developer, Designer, Co-founder

David is a product developer and technologist who’s worked as an educator in many worlds - from public schools to national non-profits to cutting edge start-ups. He and Aubrey formed Child of the Redwoods in 2017 while on a foggy Marin trail.

David focuses on business operations, product ideation, marketing, and design. He also helps members with technical issues (you’ll likely get a helpful email from David if you need support!).

Between homeschooling two boys in the city and working with Aubrey at Child of the Redwoods, David loves to read science fiction, listen to music, root for the Giants, and dream about the next family trip to Disneyland.

Loves: hiking, silly kid moments, fog rolling over the coastal mountains

Our Mission

One of our most sacred duties as a society is the nurture and support of our youngest members along their journeys to adulthood. This is not a static experience. Both the child and our society are in states of constant evolution; as the child grows and changes, so, too, does our culture and society.

To ensure each child has the resources she needs to succeed in whatever world she inherits, we must focus on the needs of the whole child - intellectual, emotional, psychological, physical. The Child Development Institute of the Redwoods is dedicated to this mission.