Lee Albright founded The Apple Orchard School in Brookline, MA in 1971. She started the preschool after being frustrated at not being able to find nearby schools for their two daughters. She was renovating an old farmhouse on Allandale Farm and saw the basement as a possible place for a small group of children. Lee had recently completed the Teacher's Program at Shady Hill School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She gathered together a group of other parents, who also wanted to have the farm, animals, trees and fields be the central subjects of their children's education. Lee looked around and saw the apple trees and decided to call the school Apple Orchard. Some passionate teachers came to work with the children, and they moved into a larger space in the barn. The first animals to join the children at the school were a pig, a donkey, a horse and two goats. This started the long legacy of animals at Apple Orchard School, and they are the inspiration for the book, Adventures of Jackie. After 50 years, the school has thrived and continued to delight generations of children with its unique farm-based adventures, hands-on exploration and open-ended learning.
Note from the author: "I believe the best way to learn is to go outside and explore. Fortunately, I had a resource, Allandale Farm. It was the perfect environment to teach children about growing crops, as well as learning about trees, ducks, turtles, frogs and farm animals. This story is based on the animals, special places and magical wonder of Apple Orchard School." – Lee Albright