Natural Start Preschool Teacher Bios for the 2026-27 Preschool Year

Preschool Director and Co-Founder, Assistant Teacher

Stephanie is a Naturopathic Physician specializing in pediatrics and family medicine. She graduated from Seattle’s Bastyr University in 1998 and has spent the past 25+ years working with children and their families. As one of the co-founders of Natural Start Preschool, Stephanie is passionate about fostering young children's learning and development through age-appropriate curriculum, outdoor exploration and play, and daily interactions with the natural world. She considers it an immense privilege to be able to experience each child's innate sense of wonder and curiosity come alive as they explore the forests and meadow surrounding our preschool, learn about insects and animals, plant seeds in the garden, and discover the other natural habitats of our preschool home. Stephanie lives in Bellevue (where she also grew up!) and is an avid hiker, gardener, and birdwatcher. She has a college-aged son with whom she loves traveling, going for runs, and sharing a variety of outdoor adventures. In her spare time, she also enjoys reading, cooking healthy meals, spending time with family and friends, and going on long nature walks.

Junior Explorers Class, Lead Teacher (Mon-Fri)

Mirsa received her Bachelor’s Degree (Cum Laude) in Early Childhood Education at Trinity Lutheran College. This will be Mirsa’s tenth year at NSP, and she is excited to continue fostering her preschoolers’ connection to the outdoors through play and exploration. Mirsa loves spending time with children because of their curiosity and their unique perspective on the world. Because her father took their family out every week, Mirsa grew up exploring and playing in different natural environments that helped foster her love for nature. She currently lives in Bellevue with her husband and two children, Danny (age 14) and Ahri (age 9), with whom she enjoys playing and exploring the outdoors. Some of their favorite activities are watching anime, gardening, playing at the park, hiking, and playing Roblox and Minecraft. When not playing, Mirsa enjoys reading, listening to rock and Stray Kids, training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and knitting.

Junior Explorers Class, Assistant Teacher (Mon-Fri) 

Liza is married and is the proud mother of four children, along with two family dogs. After nearly 20 years as a stay-at-home parent, she began her journey at Natural Start Preschool in 2021, bringing with her a deep passion for supporting young children and their families. Her background includes volunteering at children’s hospitals and working in a pediatric clinic, experiences that strengthened her commitment to child development and care. At Natural Start Preschool, Liza finds joy in watching children learn through play, explore their curiosity, and develop new skills. Being part of their growth and discovery is one of the most rewarding aspects of her work. She also extends her love for children beyond the classroom by volunteering in underserved communities through youth soccer programs. Outside of work, Liza enjoys spending quality time with her family, traveling—especially to Hawaii—exercising, gardening, and listening to audiobooks during long walks.

Junior Explorers Class, Assistant Teacher (Mon/Wed/Fri)

Ginny holds a Bachelor's degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Eastern Washington University and an MBA in Finance from City University of Seattle. She has a longstanding passion for interacting with children and has dedicated over twenty years to volunteering and teaching Chinese to children of all ages. After having her own children, Ginny shifted her focus to family life and began volunteering at her children’s elementary school, including providing support in the classroom. From a young age, she attended a forest school from preschool through elementary, where she was immersed in outdoor play, nature, and animals. Ginny brings that love of exploration and curiosity into her work with children. 

Junior Explorers Class, Assistant Teacher (Tue/Thu)

Elika is a current Bellevue College student studying to become an American Sign Language Interpreter. She has a variety of job experiences, including teaching in a 2nd grade classroom and working at ICAN Children's Therapy helping children meet their therapy goals. She enjoys helping children communicate with those around them and supporting them as they learn and grow. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, listening to music, and playing the violin. Having attended Natural Start Preschool as a child, Elika is excited to come full circle by joining the staff and supporting the next generation of children as they learn, grow, and explore.

Explorers Class, Lead Teacher (Mon/Wed/Fri) 

Jodi earned her Bachelor's Degree in Communications and Advertising from Washington State University before discovering her true passion for working with children. After six years in e-commerce and teaching gymnastics on the side, she returned to school to earn her Master's Degree in Teaching from Heritage University.  As a certified elementary educator, Jodi has worked as an elementary teacher, reading specialist, gymnastics instructor, and dance coach. This year marks her seventh year at Natural Start Preschool, and she's excited to welcome a new group of Explorers! She believes children learn best through play, curiosity, and hands-on experiences in nature, and she loves helping them build confidence while discovering the world around them. Jodi lives in Newcastle with her husband, Wes, their two sons, Etcher (12) and Helix (9), and their energetic dog, Hazy. As a family, they love camping, hiking, skiing, traveling, dirt biking (a new hobby), and spending time outdoors. In her free time, Jodi enjoys creating art, birdwatching, discovering new coffee shops, and finding fun, creative ways to inspire learning.

Explorers Class, Lead Teacher (Tue/Thu), Assistant Teacher (Wed)

Victoria has been proud to call the Pacific Northwest her home for the past 28 years. Originally from Michigan, Victoria obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Michigan State University and has teaching experience from preschool up through the middle school level. This is Victoria’s thirteenth year at NSP and her sixth year team-teaching with Ms. Jodi. She feels fortunate to be able to share the wonders of the outdoors with her preschoolers. Like her students, Victoria is always learning and has taken many courses and workshops over the years to keep her up to date with the latest practices as she continues building her “outdoor preschool repertoire.” She is excited to explore and share new activities with her students while facilitating a love and appreciation for nature. When she’s not teaching preschool, Victoria enjoys gardening, traveling, thrifting, reading, listening to live music, and strumming the guitar. Victoria has two college-aged sons and lives in Issaquah with her husband David and rescue lab-mix Loki. 

Explorers Class, Assistant Teacher (Mon)  

Hi! My name is Jennifer Bean, but you can call me Jen. I have three kids who all attended Natural Start Preschool – their current ages are 19, 17, and 12. My husband and I both grew up south of Bellevue and we love going to Whidbey Island and enjoying the beautiful Pacific Northwest. I’ve volunteered with children for many years, both at my church and with the Bellevue School District. I was a preschool teacher in college and also worked in the Pre-K program at Samena. I have 24 nieces and nephews, so I spend a lot of time around kids! I’m looking forward to getting to know all of your adorable children! 

Explorers Class, Assistant Teacher (Fri)

Maryellen earned her Bachelor's of Science degree at Pacific Lutheran University, which is when she fell in love with the Pacific Northwest so much that she never returned home to Baltimore. While attending PLU, she worked as a research assistant in language acquisition and pediatric neuropsychology. She also collected and organized research data at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, leading to an educational position at the zoo. She then became Educational Director at the Cougar Mountain Zoo before returning to being a full-time nanny to an amazing pair of “astronaut ballerinas”. In her spare time, Maryellen writes kid lit and portal fantasies, spends lots of time on adventures with her camera, and plays the cello. She lives on the edge of an enchanted forest on Cougar Mountain. 

Explorers Class, Assistant Teacher (Tue/Thu) -- November-June

Paige will be graduating from Central Washington University with a degree in Elementary Education in December 2026. She will be student teaching in a kindergarten classroom through mid-November and is looking forward to returning to Natural Start Preschool to teach for the remainder of the school year. Paige is a vegan who is passionate about science, the environment, and animals. She has always loved learning new things and exploring; she loves working here at preschool! She is especially interested in marine life, and the aquarium is one of her favorite places to visit. She loves reading, book collecting, baking, and spending time with her dog, Jetta. If she isn’t doing any of the previous, she is probably talking about Star Trek or growing her Star Trek collection.

Explorers Class, Assistant Teacher (Tue/Thu) -- September-November

Rose dreamed of being a teacher ever since she was a small child. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Indiana University and a Master of Education degree from Harvard Graduate School of Education. Before becoming a mom, Rose taught preschool for many years in various cities, including Bangkok, Boston, Cincinnati, and the Seattle area. Both her daughters are graduates of Natural Start, and she is thrilled to be joining the talented team here. She especially enjoys having fun(ny) conversations with kids, learning about the classroom themes along with the class, and getting to know all the wonderful families in the school community. Originally from Chicago, Rose (and her husband) fell in love with the Pacific Northwest, and are so happy to now be settled in Issaquah. Outside of school, Rose loves to spend time with her family, walk her fluffy dog Cassian, read, do puzzles, travel, and share delicious food with friends and family. 

Explorers Class, Assistant Teacher (Tue/Thu); Administrative Assistant (Wed)

Sarah graduated from William Jewell College with a B.S. in Nursing. As a Pediatric RN, she worked in a variety of settings, including hospitals, clinics, summer camps, and as a traveling nurse in 7 states. She was an elementary school nurse at her children’s school for 2 years in Kansas. When her family moved to Washington in August of 2017, she felt ready for a new career adventure. Her life experiences and passion for working with children influenced the decision to be both a preschool teacher and stay-at-home mom. Growing up in Missouri, she loved camping and water skiing at the lake, helping in her mom’s classroom, and playing on the farm. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, crafting with paper and recycled materials, yoga, and hiking. When exploring nature, her favorite spots are the mountains, beach, lake, and forest, just to name a few! Sarah lives in Bellevue with her husband Scotty, two kids Lillian (18) and Fisher (16), and cat Leonard.  

Explorers Class, Assistant Teacher (Mon/Wed/Fri)

Yuka grew up in Japan and moved to the Seattle area after earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications. She worked for several IT companies in this area and did project management until she had her son, who is currently in elementary school. As her son grew up, Yuka became involved in various children’s groups and activities and enjoyed organizing them as well. She volunteered at her son’s elementary school as a classroom and recess assistant from 2020-21. Yuka is passionate about working with young kids and enjoys learning about child development and early childhood education. While she was growing up in Japan, Yuka always played outside, and she chose to live in the Pacific Northwest because of this area’s beautiful nature. In her free time, Yuka enjoys hiking with her dog, doing yoga, swimming, cycling, camping and traveling, playing music, cooking, eating, and trying new things!