Gretchen Preston

President and Owner Gretchen Preston graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a bachelor’s degree in education. She provided child care in her home for five years when her own children were preschoolers. In 1982, she opened the first Gretchen’s House in the Eberwhite neighborhood. Since then, Gretchen’s House has grown to eight centers in Ann Arbor and one in Houghton, Michigan on the campus of Michigan Technological University and one in Ypsilanti, Michigan in partnership with HighScope. Throughout her career Gretchen has been active in the early childhood community, both locally and at the national level. She has been a validator for NAEYC’s accreditation program for several years and has served on local professional groups, as well as boards for Child Care Information Exchange and the current Washtenaw Citizens Advisory Council for Family Court. She is a Certified Playground Safety Inspector and has participated in the GSRP program since its creation. Gretchen says, “I enjoy working with early childhood professionals within Gretchen’s House and the greater community. Improving the quality of our programs is at the core of everything we do at Gretchen’s House. Seeing this happen gives me great satisfaction.”