At Primrose, we live with personal and professional integrity; we treat others with respect; we give without expecting and we serve with passion. These core values are modeled in how we treat others and forge our belief statement “who children become is as important as what they know.” “Who they become,” not meaning whether they become doctors, lawyers or engineers someday, but whether they leave our school having been enriched by daily exposure to positive character traits such as kindness, respect for self and others, giving and self-regulation. Among other things, it was this concept of embedded character development that made Primrose stand out for Benita and Marcus Petrella, the incredibly proud owners of Primrose Midlothian Village. “For us, we saw that Primrose offered so much more than an amazing curriculum. We are blessed with a family of wonderful leaders and teachers that genuinely care about the children in our care and the families with which we partner. It is our hope that coming here feels like coming home with warm smiles, genuine interactions, and surrounded by people who are passionate about the well-being and development of the children entrusted to our care.”

Marcus and Benita have five children ranging in age from 8 to 16 years old. Early in their own professional careers, they both struggled with finding quality childcare for their then young children. After graduating from Old Dominion (B.S. Political Science with a minor in Criminal Justice) and completing law school at the Marshall Wythe School of Law at the College of William & Mary, Benita served as an associate and later counsel in the litigation section of Hunton & Williams, LLP for 13 years. She represented Fortune 500 companies across the country and was licensed in multiple states. Marcus advanced through the ranks of the automotive equipment industry. With more than 25 years of business experience, including national sales manager for an Italian-based wheel-balancer and tire changer company, Marcus owns several automotive equipment related businesses.

Marcus and Benita know all too well the demands parents face in juggling family needs in the challenging work-life balance. “We knew when we left the corporate world that we wanted to ‘do more.’” Owning a Primrose provided a dream opportunity for them to marry their business acumen with their goal of giving back to their community in a meaningful way. Primrose was a “natural fit” for the couple, who are hands-on owners. “We are so proud to be a part of this great group of loving and nurturing individuals who share of themselves every day in caring for others. Our highest priority is the health and safety of the children entrusted to our care. We are passionate about the Primrose exclusive early learning approach that balances purposeful play with nurturing guidance from teachers to encourage curiosity, creativity, confidence and compassion. We are excited to partner with families as another resource to reiterate positive character development.