Two young women from Mercer Island who started a home daycare called “The Growing Tree” in Bellevue in 2013, are expanding their business and opening a second private preschool location, “The Treehouse” playcare and preschool, right down the street from their current spot.

Alli Drinkard and Jessica Dixon met in a nursery school on Mercer Island, and happened to live on the same street: Ferncroft Road. Their best friendship lasted through middle school, when they opened a joint babysitting business, Mercer Island High School and on to college at Washington State University, where they studied early childhood development and elementary education.

Opening a preschool was in their five-year plan, but became a reality quicker than expected when they found out that the owner of Small Wonders, three doors down from them on Northeast 21st Street, was retiring.

“They say that opportunity knocks, and she literally came and knocked on our door,” Dixon said.

Their childcare credo incorporates “bits and pieces of different philosophies” like Montessori and the Goddard School, combined with their personal experiences and vision. It centers on two main concepts: care that is play-based and child-directed.

“We just want to let the kids be kids,” Dixon said, using terms like “choice,” “exploration” and “independence” to describe the vibe of the daycare. “We think about what we loved doing as kids and try to recreate those memories, and get the kids to use their imaginations.”

They “strive to inspire a sense of wonder and playfulness, and build a foundation for a lifelong love of learning,” according to their website.

The preschool will have a very similar philosophy, and Dixon and Drinkard said the big difference will be the age group. Children in their daycare range from six weeks to five years old.

At Growing Tree, there’s a daily schedule, with circle time, reading, art and outside play, but the only activities with specific and consistent times are sleeping and eating. There are sometimes special visitors: firefighters and police officers for the “community helpers” unit, a marine biologist for “ocean week,” a “mad scientist,” a “reptile man” and special teachers for arts, music and even yoga, for which parents never pay extra.

The Growing Tree founders say they recognize that their prices may be higher than others, but that the tuition correlates directly to quality. The two believe in providing organic and fresh food, high quality toys, a clean home and yard and competitive salaries and continuing education for teachers.

Drinkard and Dixon will hire four new teachers for the preschool, and hope to continue the “home away from home” and community feeling they’ve cultivated at their daycare in the new location. They are accepting applications now; The Growing Tree is capped at 12 kids, but The Treehouse is aiming for about 20 students.

Drinkard and Dixon said that growing up, they loved playing house, playing school and playing with dolls. Opening a daycare felt like something they were born to do, and something they had to do together.

“We would rather babysit than go to the movies or the mall,” Dixon said. “We said that, ‘you get four eyes for the price of one babysitter.’”

For more, see www.thegrowingtreeplaycare.com.