Crystal Astry

Lead Infant Teacher

Crystal is originally from Yakima, Washington, and moved to Pullman in 2010. She joins us with 17 years in retail management. Her love of watching children grow and learn is what motivated her to make a career change. She has her AAS degree in Early Childhood Development from Lewis-Clark State College. She lives in Pullman with her husband and three sons, Dylan, Gavyn, and Jaxson. Crystal enjoys cooking, gardening, running, and spending time with her family.

Nohemy Labra

Lead Infant Teacher

Nohemy was born and raised in Idaho. She moved to Moscow to attend the University of Idaho and graduated in 2013 with a Bachelors in Child Development and Family Relations. While attending school, Nohemy started working with children ages birth to 5. Ever since, she has found a passion to work with children and families. She enjoys getting to meet new people and learning about their culture. Her favorite pastime is playing volleyball and spending time with friends and family.

Rachel Lauzon

Infant Teacher

Rachel recently graduated from Washington State University with a bachelor’s degree in Secondary English Teaching. Since the age of fifteen, Rachel has found immense joy in teaching, whether it be dance, cheerleading, general education, or life skills. She has gained experience specifically in childcare settings by working with some amazing teachers at Community Child Care and Building Blocks Child Care centers in Pullman, prior to joining LES. As Rachel pursues her next educational goal of obtaining a master’s degree in English, she is thrilled that she gets to work with such amazing children in all of the classrooms at LES. Rachel is passionate in helping children gain emotional competency skills, such as naming and understanding emotions.

Tiffany Cromer

Lead Toddler Teacher

Tiffany grew up in many small towns surrounding the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley, where she currently resides. She is an avid outdoorswoman and enjoys camping, kayaking, and fishing. She recently reeled in her personal best, a 7'3" long sturgeon. Tiffany found her passion in childcare, where she can make everybody feel like somebody special. 

Angie Caldwell

Toddler Teacher

Angie graduated from Indiana University in 1984 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She has been working with children in private childcare, elementary school classrooms, and children’s ministry programs for over sixteen years. Angie is thrilled with the opportunity to begin working with toddlers every day at Little Edisons, because she realizes how important positive interactions and experiences are during those formative years of learning and development.

Candi McGreal

Toddler Teacher

Candi has worked in the field of education for over 25 years. She has previously worked at Potlatch School District and Community Childcare Center. Candi and her husband have three grown children and one grandchild. During her free time, she enjoys camping, sports and spending time with her family. She loves watching students grow and seeing their faces light up when they realize they have accomplished something they worked hard at. Candi is looking forward to being part of the Little Edisons School.

Diane Grigsby

Toddler Teacher

Diane graduated from the University of Phoenix in 2012 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business. She has over 20 years of experience in child care and as a preschool teacher. She has previously worked as a lead teacher at Bright Horizons Family Solutions. Diane has a strong passion for providing children with an enriched learning environment and developing their lifelong love of learning. She enjoys meeting new people and in her free time she loves hiking with her dogs and participating in many outdoor activities.

Edith Martinez

Toddler Teacher

Edith moved to Pullman in February 2021 from Brooklyn, New York, where she was born and raised. Much of her working experience has been in childcare, as working with kids brings her so much joy! In her work she strives to give children fun and fond memories to look back on. She received her bachelor’s in International Studies with a minor in Spanish. She has found Pullman to be a breath of fresh air from the Big Apple. In her free time, she enjoys crafting (embroidery, at the moment), drawing, cooking, and playing video games with her significant other.

Manivanh Avery

Toddler Teacher

Manivanh is originally from Laos and she has worked in childcare for more than 15 years. Manivanh especially likes infants and toddlers. She likes helping them learn, watching them grow, and taking care of their basic needs. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, going for walks, and spending time with her family and friends.

Jordan Stapleton

Toddler Teacher

Jordan graduated from Washington State University in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in Human Development with a certificate in Early Childhood Development. Working with children has been her dream since she was young, and she is happy to live out this passion here at LES. She previously worked as a lead preschool teacher at Community Child Care Center- St. James in Pullman, WA. Her favorite part about being a teacher is the love she gets to share with the children in her classroom. Walking in the doors every morning and greeted with happy smiling faces is the best feeling. She is very excited to be joining the LES team.

Kylie Jessup

Lead Preschool Teacher

Kylie graduated from the University of Idaho in 2009 with a Bachelor’s Degree in General Studies. She has over 9 years of experience in child care and preschool. She previously worked as the lead preschool teacher and childcare director at Moscow Day School. Kylie enjoys helping preschoolers learn through play and through experience, and watching their eyes light up when she shows them something new; like demonstrating what happens when vinegar reacts with baking soda, drawing their attention to the sounds the leaves make in the wind, and inviting musical guests to the classroom to expose them to different musical instruments.

Lisa McIntosh

Lead Preschool Teacher

Lisa graduated from the University of Idaho in 2006 and obtained her B.S in Elementary Education K-8. She is proud to brag that she has been employed at Little Edisons School since it first opened its doors almost 4 years ago and has always been a teacher in the Preschool/PreK room!

In the previous 8 years before LES she had worked in Moscow, Idaho, childcare centers: Palouse Early Learning Center and St. Rose’s Childcare in lead Kindergarten and Preschool teacher roles. Lisa loves working with children because children make her laugh and smile and because they inspire her to approach the world with curiosity, patience, and joy.

Susan Masson

Preschool Teacher

Susan earned her BFA from the University of Washington. She earned her masters from Pratt University in Brooklyn, NY. Susan lived as a working artist in NYC for over 20 years. She then lived in Portland, where she taught Spanish. Susan has been working with children since 1991.

Shannon Slaughter

Preschool Teacher

Shannon has enjoyed teaching at Little Edisons School for over 5 years, first in the School Age room and currently with Preschool and Pre-K. She discovered her love for teaching Preschoolers while working as an Aide in her daughter's Head Start class starting in 2006. Prior to Little Edisons School, Shannon worked full-time at Moscow Day School for 5 years. Before that she worked part-time as the Branch Manager of the Albion Library. That is probably why her favorite thing to do with the Preschool kids is to read to them. Outside of work, Shannon loves to read, try new recipes, and spend time with her family. At work, she treasures the time she spends with these great kids and the opportunities she gets to know their families.

Amanda Hensley

Lead School Age Teacher

Amanda graduated from the University of Idaho in the Fall of 2016 with a Bachelor's Degree in General Studies and Minors in Art and Psychology. She perviously worked at Grandma Bea's Childcare and Preschool for the past 6 years as a Lead Teacher and Director of Curriculum. Amanda enjoys helping kids explore their environment and planning fun art projects with them. Hearing and seeing their reactions is what makes it all worth while.

Ryli Lind

Teacher Specialist

Miss Ryli grew up in Nashua, Iowa. She moved out to Pullman to get a change in scenery in fall 2015. She left behind her sixteen siblings to pursue a life of her own. Since she grew up in a large family, Early Childhood Education seemed to fit her passions and needs in a career setting. Ryli worked at another childcare center in Pullman for 5 years before joining the LES team. In her spare time, she loves to go to the gym, hike, travel, and spend time with the people around her. Ryli loves to encourage people to be the best they can be. She is grateful for the opportunity to influence and love on our kids at LES.

Ashlyn Zagelow

Support Teacher

Ashlyn graduated from Lewis-Clark State College in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. During her time at LCSC, some of Ashlyn’s favorite classes included developmental psychology and chemical dependency in the family system, which is where she first discovered her passion to learn more about the processes of young minds. Before joining LES, Ashlyn worked with various age groups as a teaching assistant, a research assistant, a babysitter, and a youth volleyball coach. She enjoys cooking, baking, gardening, and spending time with friends and family. In the future, Ashlyn plans to further her education by pursuing her Masters in School Counseling in hopes of one day becoming an elementary school counselor.

Jess Thompson

Program Coordinator

Jess grew up in a small town outside of Spokane. Starting at the age of 10, she became part of a family business that taught martial arts. This opportunity allowed her to teach an array of students, from young children to the elderly. Jess attended Montana State where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology. After graduating she returned to her home town, where she began coaching cross-country and track. She found passion in working with and teaching children. Teaching children new skills and watching them achieve tasks they did not believe they were capable of inspire her to achieve other goals for herself. Jess enjoys working with a variety of children of different ages and encouraging children to try new activities.

Jill Clark

Program Coordinator

Jill started with Little Edisons as a substitute teacher in January 2016 and moved into the Toddler Room in Fall 2017. After a break in 2019, she moved back to become the Program Coordinator for LES at the end of 2019! She is passionate about growing our team and helping our students find their interests and grow their minds. Jill is a graduate from Central Washington University and Washington State University with a bachelor’s in Psychology and Family Studies and with a master’s in teaching for Elementary Education, respectively. For fun, she loves hiking and learning about native plant life with her partner, Erik and snuggling up for naps with her cat, Kili, and pup, Iris. Fun fact: Jill has a tortoise too that has visited LES!