Meet the Team
Dedicated & Certified

Helena Hortman
Owner/ Early Educator
I have been in the early education field since 1999. I operated a family child care home, certified with the military, for 8 years in both Louisiana and Alaska, where my home was nationally accredited. I have been a preschool teacher, a director at both a 5 star rated church center and nationally accredited university center, as well as executive director, overseeing 3 large four and five star, and nationally accredited centers, for 14 years.
I have a BS in Occupational Education majoring in business, and minoring in accounting and early education. I have more than 27 years experience with special needs, specifically high functioning autism, speech delays, learning delays, behavior management, and sensory integration. I hold a TX director license and now own and operate one of two licensed home in Greenville, TX.
I decided to open my home in TX for child care, to not only be a business owner again where my passion lies, but to also allow time for training and mentoring others in the field. It will also give one of my daughter's, Briana, a career she can enjoy.

Briana Hortman
Early Educator
Ms. Briana is the oldest of the three Hortman girls. She graduated in NC in 2014 and has been increasing her education through homeschooling since. She has completed all required state training for early educators and will be working toward her CDA certification.
Ms. Briana loves watching Dog the Bounty Hunter, Alaska-The Last Frontier, and anything on the history channel. She plays the piano and loves putting together puzzles. She has a huge Lego collection and is excited to share it with those children ready for the small pieces.
(Don't let her looks fool you! She may look 12, but she's actually 27!)

Kevin, Meghan, and Kristen Hortman
Husband, Other Two Hortman Daughters
Kevin is retired Army and currently works for a company in Plano. He enjoys hunting and helping others. He will be a huge part of my home care when he's home and available.
Meghan graduated in 2018 from Hortman's Academy and currently works in Royce City. Meghan is qualified as an early educator and will occasionally do back-up for me when needed. She has volunteered at my previous centers and has been involved in child care her whole life. When she started Kindergarten, which she had to wait a year because of her birthday, I had no idea how I was going to handle my child care home on my own because she had been such a big help! At 5 years old she was feeding infants, clearing the table after meals, carrying out story time, etc. without me ever having to ask her. As an adult, she is no different!
Kristen graduated in 2020 from Greenville and is attending college, studying advertising. She will be back and forth from school depending on the semester and holidays. She enjoys being with children and may volunteer when she is available. She has volunteered for years at my previous centers.

Buddy & Chloe
Sleep, Chase, Repeat, AND Bark
We rescued Buddy and Chloe our first summer in Texas. They were about 8 weeks old and are now almost 7 years old. They are litter mates, although they look nothing alike. They are both pretty chilled unless there is something to chase or play toss with, or someone comes to the door. They love to play chase and hide and seek with each other. They are also pretty protective, and for this reason they will be kept in a separate part of the home away from the children. They also have their own section of the yard to play and potty. The children are able to see them from the windows in the learning area and through the bubbles in the fence between the yards.

Goldfrost & John
Eats Grass All Day
Goldfrost and John came with the house when we bought it. All we really know is that they are both rescue horses. Goldfrost is about 32 years old and John is about 14 years old. John has a tattoo in his mouth which indicates he was once a race horse.
We have never had horses before, so we have learned a lot about how to care for them. We really just want to give them a calm and peaceful life with lots of love. We are so excited about what the children will bring to their lives. We will keep our uneaten apples to give them and we will make special days throughout the year to make them treats.
© 2021 by Helena's Early Learning Playhouse. Proudly created with Wix.com