Meet the Staff

Click on image of staff member to read their bio.

Top row: Kathi Lightstone-Matanovic, Donna Cook Misner, Marsha Burdick, Belle Amie, Bonnie Steussy
Bottom row: Brook Steussy-Edfeldt, Deborah Smick, Chat-O

Bonnie Steussy, Founder, Director, Teacher

BA in Education, University of Puget Sound 1965; Certificate d’Etudes, Sorbonne, Paris, France, 1970; MAT Foreign Language Education, University of South Carolina, 1973; Certificate in Leadership Training/Adlerian Parent Education, University of Miami Medical school, 1974; TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) Certification, Seattle University, 2011. Bonnie founded The Children’s Garden in 1977

Deborah Smick, Lead Teacher

BA in English and Creative Writing, Stanford University 1975; Teaching credential and Masters level coursework in Human Development, Pacific Oaks College 1982; Orff certification 1996; TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) Certification, Seattle University, 2011. Debby has taught at The Children’s Garden since 1983.

Kathi Lightstone-Matanovic, Teacher

Kathi trained as an actress at Los Angeles City College and is a well known Northwest storyteller and recording artist. Kathi has taught at The Children’s Garden since 2001.

Donna Cook Misner, Teacher

BA in Psychology, Education and in Special Education for gifted and challenged children, York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 1984. Donna has been teaching at The Children’s Garden since 2004.

Brook Steussy-Edfeldt, Teacher

BA in a self-designed major combining cultural studies, communication and the expressive arts from Western Washington University, 2005; MA in Human Development with a specialization in leadership in education, Pacific Oaks College, 2009. Brook graduated from the Children’s Garden as a student in 1986 and returned to teach there in fall of 2010.

Marsha Burdick, Operations Manager

Marsha manages the business responsibilities of the school. She has a BA in Education, specializing in Early Childhood Development and family relationships from Western Washington University. Marsha has been with The Children’s Garden since 1986.

Julie Spangler, Parent Education Specialist

Julie offers parent education courses through the year. She is a WA Licensed Certified Counselor and mother of four (all Children’s Garden graduates). Julie has been with The Children’s Garden since 1997.