About AppleTree & Gilden Woods

How It All Began

The first AppleTree location opened in Grand Rapids, MI, in 1998,  a premier child care and early education center designed to be a safe, nurturing environment. At the time, it was the first child care business in Michigan to install a secure internet camera system, which allowed enrolled parents to “visit” their child anytime from work via computer or mobile device.

Branching Out

Additional schools in West Michigan were built following the success of the first school. In 2011, a corporate partnership team was created to manage operations, owner relations, marketing, curriculum, training, and quality. With AppleTree as its foundation, the Gilden Woods brand was established in 2012. Currently, there are 23 schools operating throughout Michigan, including Grand Rapids, Holland, Kalamazoo, Lansing, and the Metro Detroit area.

We are proud to have inspired a love of learning in more than 20,000 children in the past two decades. It’s amazing to see the children we cared for 20 years ago now bringing their own infants to our schools—and some are even working for us as they raise their families.