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About Us

How it all began…

Bridgett VanDerhoff and her deceased husband, Doug (1951 – 2007), opened their first AppleTree location in Grand Rapids, MI on Monroe Avenue in 1998 with the dream of creating a premier child care and early education center that would provide a safe, nurturing environment for their infant daughter, Anna, to grow, learn, and thrive. When it opened in 1998, it was the first child care business in Michigan to install a secure internet camera system, AppleCam, which allows enrolled parents to “visit” their child anytime from work via computer or mobile device.

Children ages 6 weeks to 10 years old can grow, learn, and thrive socially, academically, and emotionally. Age-appropriate curriculum and programming allow each child to master learning objectives at their own pace while preparing for Kindergarten and future life success. Rigorous quality standards are evaluated quarterly in programming, curriculum, staffing, and building and child care safety.

As a result of her passion for protecting and educating children, VanDerhoff decided to build additional schools in West Michigan based on the success of her experience with opening the Monroe location – which is still serving the community today. There are currently 13 AppleTree locations throughout West Michigan. 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, in order to continue growth in communities outside of Michigan.

Currently there are 24 schools operating throughout Michigan. Locations include Grand Rapids, Holland, Ludington, Kalamazoo, Lansing and the Metro Detroit area. The Gilden Woods brand, along with AppleTree, has allowed for continued growth into new communities and serve new families who need quality childcare and early education.

“Our enrolled families put their trust in us and we are honored to have the privilege of caring for and educating their children,” states AppleTree and Gilden Woods Founder and CEO, Bridgett Tubbs-Carlon. “We have sparked the curiosity and inspired a love of learning in over 20,000 children in the communities we serve. The children we cared for 20 years ago are now bringing their own infants to Gilden Woods and AppleTree and some are even working for us as they raise their families.”

AppleTree & Gilden Woods Timeline

  • February 1998

    Monroe

  • July 2002

    Rockford

    July 2002

  • August 2005

    Otsego

  • July 2006

    Kentwood

    July 2006

  • June 2007

    Walker West

  • May 2009

    East Lansing

    May 2009

  • August 2009

    Hudsonville

  • July 2010

    Grandville

    July 2010

  • July 2010

    Breton Village

  • July 2012

    Cascade

    July 2012

  • September 2012

    Knapp Corner

  • August 2013

    Standale

    August 2013

  • February 2014

    Holland

  • August 2014

    Portage

    August 2014

  • October 2014

    Walker East

  • January 2015

    Kalamazoo

    January 2015

  • June 2015

    Haslett

  • November 2015

    Okemos

    November 2015

  • July 2016

    New Hudson

  • March 2017

    Howell

    March 2017

  • September 2017

    Grand Ledge

  • December 2017

    Caledonia

    December 2017

AppleTree & Gilden Woods is committed to providing high quality early care and preschool to our Corporate Partners.  We pride ourselves on partnering with employers that are woven into the fabric of the community surrounding our schools.  These partners recommend our quality services to their employees and, for that, we reward their working parents with exclusive offers and tuition rate discounts.

Thank you to the following employers for recognizing AppleTree & Gilden Woods Early Care and Preschool as a premier child care and preschool provider.

Corporate Partnerships

School Level Discounts

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