Originally from the French Alps, Virginie Harroch-Hudry moved to the United States in 2004.

After graduating with a master’s degree in mathematics from René Descartes University (Paris V), she completed her teacher certification training at Jussieu University (Paris VI). She has worked in French education since 2003, first as a middle and high school math teacher in Paris, then as a French kindergarten teacher at the French Immersion School of Washington in Bellevue, and finally as the pedagogical coordinator at EFG Seattle, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide high-quality, affordable education to French-speaking children.

Though she believes in the well-structured French curriculum, working with children from different cultures and nationalities has taught her the importance of adjusting her teaching methods to every child's individual needs.

Virginie discovered and fell in love with Maria Montessori's pedagogy when her own children joined Chestnut Montessori School in Bellevue. To continue and grow in her journey as an educator, she completed the North American Montessori Center’s teacher training program—a first step in finding a way to combine the Montessori and French curricula.

In 2015, she fulfilled her dream of sharing her passion and knowledge with children and their families when she took a leap of faith and opened Les Lilas, a place where beautiful minds grow.