Our Story. A Family Business Built on Love for Children.
NAEYC Recognized, family-owned program and preschool serving Monroe families since 2002.
Family Owned Since 2002 · 3 Connecticut Campuses · NAEYC Recognized · Best of Fairfield County
How Honey Tree Began
In 2002 Danielle Gallop and her husband Mike made a decision that would change their family and hundreds of other families across Connecticut forever. They bought a small preschool on Monroe Turnpike and opened the first Honey Tree Preschool and Childcare.
Danielle had spent 12 years working in marketing. She had her BA in English. She had a sharp business mind and a genuine passion for working with children and families. But what she had most of all was a belief that childcare could be done differently. That a preschool could feel like a real family. That children could be known individually not just managed in groups. That parents could trust a school completely not just hope for the best.
That belief became Honey Tree Monroe. And it worked.
Families from Monroe, Trumbull, Newtown, Shelton and Easton started coming. Word spread. Parents told other parents. The school grew. And in 2011 Honey Tree opened its second campus in Wilton followed by a third in Bethel bringing the same family warmth and high quality care to even more Fairfield County communities.
What We Have Always Believed
Everything at Honey Tree comes back to one idea that Danielle has carried since the very first day.
Children, like flowers, grow and flourish with care, attention and love.
It sounds simple because it is. But living it every single day across three campuses, hundreds of children and over two decades is not simple at all. It takes the right teachers, the right environment, the right routines and a genuine commitment that never wavers regardless of how busy things get.
At Honey Tree we believe:
- Every child deserves to be known by name and loved by their teachers
- Parents deserve complete transparency and daily connection to their child's day
- Teachers deserve a workplace that values, supports and grows with them
- A preschool should feel like a community not a corporation
- Trust is built through openness and we should never ask parents to simply hope for the best
These are not values we put on a wall and forget about. They shape every hiring decision, every classroom routine and every interaction with every family every single day.
Growing Into Three Campuses
2002 — Monroe Opens
Danielle and Mike Gallop open the first Honey Tree campus at 401 Monroe Turnpike. A family owned preschool built from the ground up with a vision for what early childhood care should feel like.
2006 — Watch Me Grow Cameras Introduced
Honey Tree becomes one of the only preschools in Connecticut to offer enrolled families live HD camera access to their child's classroom. A game changing feature for working parents across Fairfield County.
2011 — Wilton Campus Opens
The second Honey Tree campus opens at 992 Danbury Road in Wilton bringing the same family warmth and experienced teachers to families in Wilton, Norwalk, Westport, Weston, New Canaan and Ridgefield.
Bethel Campus Opens
A third campus at 15 Park Lawn Drive in Bethel extends Honey Tree's reach into the Danbury and Brookfield communities giving even more Fairfield County families access to trusted family owned childcare.
NAEYC Recognition— Monroe
The Monroe campus earns NAEYC Recognition, the highest national standard in early childhood education, confirming what Honey Tree families have always known. This school is something special.
Voted Best of Fairfield County
Honey Tree is voted Best of Fairfield County by real families in the community. Not a paid award. Not a marketing campaign. Just parents saying thank you the most meaningful way they can.
What Makes Honey Tree Different From a Franchise
There are plenty of preschools in Connecticut. Big chains, national franchises, corporate preschool centers with polished websites and standardized curriculums. We are none of those things and we are proud of it.
We Are a Real Family
Honey Tree is owned and operated by the Gallop family. Danielle still shows up. Kaia, her daughter, serves as Executive Director. When you walk through our doors you are meeting people who have genuine personal stakes in everything that happens here. That is something no franchise can offer.
Our Teachers Stay
In the childcare industry staff turnover is one of the biggest problems families face. Children need consistency and familiar faces. At Honey Tree our teachers stay with us for years because we invest in them, value them and create a workplace they actually want to come back to every morning. Our combined teaching experience across all campuses is over 189 years.
We Are Completely Transparent
Watch Me Grow cameras in every classroom. Daily Parent App updates throughout the day. Open door tour policy. We never ask parents to trust us blindly. We show them everything and let the experience speak for itself.
We Know Every Child
With three campuses each with small class sizes and low ratios there is no such thing as an anonymous child at Honey Tree. Every teacher knows every child. Every director knows every family. That kind of personal connection is not possible at a large corporate center and it makes an enormous difference in how children grow and feel every single day.
- Voted Best of Fairfield County
- NAEYC Recognized
- Family Owned Since 2002
- 189+ Years Combined Experience
- 24/7 HD Live Cameras
- CT State Licensed
- Nut Free Facility
- Voted Best of Fairfield County
- NAEYC Recognized
- Family Owned Since 2002
- 189+ Years Combined Experience
- 24/7 HD Live Cameras
- CT State Licensed
- Nut Free Facility
The Family Behind Honey Tree
Honey Tree is a family business in the truest sense of the word. Danielle and Mike Gallop started it together. Their daughter Kaia grew up watching it and eventually joined it. Their daughter Teja is working toward a degree in Social Work. The values of this family, care, respect, enthusiasm, support and growth, became the values of the school itself.
When you choose Honey Tree you are not just choosing a preschool. You are joining a community that started with one family’s belief that children deserve better and has grown into something hundreds of Connecticut families are proud to be part of.
The Values That Guide Everything We Do
01
Care
We create trusting relationships with every child, parent and team member every single day.
02
Respect
We respect every child’s pace, every family’s story and every team member’s contribution.
03
Support
Children, parents and teachers all deserve to feel supported. Nobody stands alone at Honey Tree.
04
Enthusiasm
We bring energy and joy to every classroom because children learn best when they are excited to be there.
05
Growth
Children grow in mind and body. Teachers grow in skill. Our schools grow in the love of the families we serve.
Come See What 20 Years of Family Owned Childcare Looks Like
The best way to understand Honey Tree is to walk through our doors. Schedule a tour at your closest campus and meet the people behind the story.