Applewood History
Our History
A Rich Legacy in Our Community
For over three decades, Applewood has been a cornerstone of early childhood education in the Londonderry/Derry area. Founded by families, for families, we remain deeply rooted in our mission to provide high-quality, community-driven care and education for young children.
In 1989, the abrupt closure of a local child care center left families in the Londonderry/Derry area with few options for quality care. Recognizing the urgent need, a group of parents came together to establish The Applewood Learning Center. Within just four months, they secured a location, obtained funding, hired an Educational Director, and opened the doors to Applewood—a full-day, high-quality, non-profit early care and education program.
From its inception, Applewood embraced a unique model of parent-teacher partnership. Parents played a central role in governance, forming a Board of Directors composed entirely of Applewood families to guide the center’s mission and vision. This collaborative spirit, built on trust and mutual respect, laid the foundation for a thriving community.
Over the years, Applewood has grown and thrived, supported by the dedication of its families and staff. Grants from organizations like The Building #19 Foundation, NYNEX, and AT&T have helped fund critical resources, from technology for our school-age program to infrastructure improvements. In partnership with First NH Bank, Applewood secured and renovated the building it calls home today.
As the only self-supporting non-profit child care center in the Londonderry/Derry area, Applewood has become a model for early childhood education. Guided by its mission, the center continues to prioritize well-educated teachers, support parents as their child’s first teachers, and nurture each child’s individual growth within a vibrant, connected community.
Founder's Message
In 1989, a group of families worked together to launch what was an unfamiliar model of early care and education in NH. We had come together after the abrupt closing of one of the few full-day childcare programs in the Derry-Londonderry area. Devastated that we had few options for our children, we decided to enter into partnership to open a full-day, high-quality, non-profit early care and education program for young children.
Partnership was the key. We were not looking merely for parent involvement; we were looking for parent-teacher partnership, an entirely different concept. An Educational Director would be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the program, but the Board of Directors would be responsible for guiding Applewood in its mission, and the Board would be composed solely of Applewood parents.
From Day One, we were told that Applewood would never succeed with parents playing a primary role in the organization. We disagreed. We knew we had one commonality that was significant: wanting the best for all of our young children. And coming from very diverse professional backgrounds strengthened us, as each founding member of Applewood brought a unique skill and talent that laid the foundation for our fledgling organization.
The first layer of our foundation, though, was based on trust, communication, and belief in community. We were not looking for teachers who felt their education superseded a parent’s understanding of their child. We were not looking for parents to bring in snacks, repair books, or wash paint smocks (though we certainly needed all of that and more). We were looking for teachers and parents who together would build our community. And what a community we built!
The Applewood community strongly supports well-educated teachers; it respectfully supports parents in their roles as their child’s first teacher; it supports each child in their individual growth; and it supports each person, both child and adult, as a lifelong learner and a contributing member of Applewood. In the end, Applewood is a community that believes it takes all of us working together to make a difference in the lives of all of our children.
Susan Gimilaro
Founding Family and First Educational Director
