Meet
Our Staff
Our staff is united in an effort to create learning environments that honor and support the healthy development of children. We believe in creating engaging environments and using practices that humanize and elevate all people.
Natalia Parker
Director
Natalia Parker, a founder of and the current Director at Discovery Lab of Ellensburg, has worked with children and families in varying capacities for the past 20 years. After graduating with degrees in Psychology and Infant Mental Health, Natalia worked in various roles educating and supporting caregivers, children and students from Infancy through Post-Secondary. Currently, in her role at Discovery Lab she works to support meaningful and engaging teaching and learning practices that best support healthy child development. When she isn’t at work she loves to be outside anywhere and has a special fondness for orange cats and strawberry cake.
Brooklynn edgar
Teacher
With Discovery Lab since 2021, Brooklynn is the lead teacher for our the older grades. She studied Elementary Education at Central Washington University and loves being in the classroom. She is passionate about building relationships with students and creating engaging routines for learning. When she is not at work, she loves to spend time with her husband and her dog Daytona.
Kathy guss
Teacher
Kathy has a BSE in Elementary/Art Education from the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater. Along with substitute teaching, she worked at a preschool for several years and taught art classes with everyone from children to adults for the past twenty-six years. She is also a ceramic artist and a mom of two incredible boys who are 15 and 18. Kathy likes to snow-shoe, kayak, bike and hike. She also enjoys a long swim on a hot summer day and sharing her love of clay, life and learning with everyone.
kyle bain
Assistant Teacher
Kyle is an educator/musician with an Associates Degree in music composition from Seattle Central Community College. He’s been working at Ellensburg Discovery Lab since 2016 and Little Country Preschool since 2019. He’s also been teaching private music lessons since 2014 to people of all ages. He performs music all over the northwest (formerly with Centaur Midwife, Chuck Boom and Cobrahawk) and is currently the lead guitarist for Aaron Crawford. He’s a cat dad to two cats (Frodo and Sam) and loves to bake and cook from scratch, write fictional stories, learn about and explore local geology and teach young minds.