A Small School Built Around Relationships
Apricot Hill Play School is a small, home-based early childhood program serving infants through preschool, with occasional drop-in care for school-age children. We offer a calm, mixed-age environment where children are known well, treated with dignity, and given time to play, explore, create, rest, and grow.
Our approach begins with connection. We believe behavior is communication, relationships come before compliance, and children learn best when they feel safe, respected, and genuinely valued.
Meet the Founder
Apricot Hill was founded by Deanna Brown, who holds a master’s degree in counseling and has more than 25 years of experience supporting children and families. Her background includes early childhood care, family partnership, program leadership, behavioral support, and previous work in counseling settings. She has extensive experience working with children across developmental stages, including neurodiverse children.
Deanna’s work is grounded in the belief that children deserve to be treated as whole people—with dignity, warmth, curiosity, and respect—especially when they are struggling.
What We Believe
Children deserve to experience childhood as a time of belonging, discovery, play, and wonder—not as a race toward the next milestone.
We believe clear expectations and gentle rhythms help children feel secure. We guide behavior through connection, curiosity, and respectful limits rather than shame, fear, or punishment.
We also believe families are essential partners. Honest communication, mutual respect, and a shared understanding of each child help us create the strongest possible care experience.
A Place to Belong
Our hope is that every child who comes to Apricot Hill feels welcomed, understood, and important. We want children to know that their ideas matter, their feelings are worthy of care, and they belong here exactly as they are.
Apricot Hill Play School 