Colleen has been with the Family Development Center since 2006. She began as the Administrative Director and was promoted to the Executive Director position in June 2020. She also supervises the Newborn Network and Child Care Network for the Family Development Center. She holds a BS in Labor and Industrial Relations, Human Resource Management, from Pennsylvania State University and continues to be a Nittany Lion fan!

She moved to Steamboat 26 years ago for a break after graduation and has been here ever since. Colleen ran a Human Resources Consulting business, Viable Resources, for 15 years that specialized in temporary employment visas and working with small businesses before moving into the early childhood education sector.

She and her husband Josh have two children, Zach and Maggie, both attending the University of Colorado in Boulder, and both are DLC alumni, along with their rambunctious 5-year-old Australian Shepherd “puppy”, Koda. When she is not working, Colleen enjoys being outside skiing, hiking, biking, or anything with her family. Feel free to email or call her with any questions!

Hi! My name is Avery Hazlett (and next to me is my puppy Stella), I'm a new teacher here at Discovery. I’ve been learning about early childhood education and teaching for about two years now. My favorite subject to teach is art. I enjoy creating art in my free time and at school I enjoy creating art with the kiddos and assisting them in using their imagination and creativity to create beautiful pieces of art. I'm so excited to get to know you and your kids this upcoming school year!

This is John’s 14th year at Discovery Learning Center. He started his adventure in Early Childhood Education (ECE) after his daughter Grace was born, (who is now in high school!). He holds a Colorado Early Childhood Credential Level IV and an AA degree in ECE. John is currently working on completing his Bachelors in ECE. John and his wife Dianna moved to Steamboat Springs in 1998 to take advantage of all the outdoor activities. He is an avid camping and biking enthusiast & loves traveling with his family. Some of their adventures have led them to Switzerland, Germany, Ecuador, and the Galapagos Islands!

After growing up in Montana, then attending college in Vermont, Alice made her way to Steamboat where she has lived for the past 2.5 years, working at Discovery for the past two. She is working toward her Preschool Center Director Certification by attending community college classes. Alice’s favorite part of working in Early Childhood is watching kids change and grow. Being outdoors with them is up there too! She feels very lucky to have found a profession she enjoys so much. For fun, Alice enjoys cooking, being outside in many different capacities, and instructing log rolling at OTHS in Steamboat.

Shortly after graduating from Wittenberg University in the spring of 2019 with a BA in Business Management and Marketing, Emma moved to Summit County, CO. There she worked at a Science School with children K-5 teaching environmental science, water ecology, geology, sustainability and conservation. After moving to Steamboat Springs, she took the role as Lead Preschool teacher at a local center. Emma is excited to continue her ECE journey at Discovery with the Preschool Class. Outside of the classroom, Emma loves rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing and reading by the Yampa River.