We sincerely appreciate all of the kind words from these Parent Reviews. We encourage you to read the Parent Reviews for Gateway Academy below. We are also happy to connect you with one of our current parents via e-mail or phone so you can get their feedback on what we believe is the top preschool around!

Dear Gateway Staff.

Both of our children have been at Gateway Academy from a very young age. Katie, now 4, started when she was about 14 months old, and Madelyn, now 2 started in the infant room at just 12 weeks old, where she was lovingly cared for.

Several factors go in to choosing a day care: Safety, cleanliness, curriculum, staff, extra curricular activities, creative opportunities, proximity and more. Gateway has met and exceeded our expectations.

The center follows all DHEC regulations and institutes many of their own best practices for hygiene and safety. I am very comfortable with the front desk security and pick up and drop off procedures. We have been very impressed with the centers curriculum. The children learn about the world around them through age appropriate lessons, games, songs and daily artwork. Gateway focuses on letters, numbers, colors, health and fitness. and manners at a very early age. Children learn about the days of the week and seasons of the year. While each class has a structured routine which helps the children know what to expect, they are also given plenty of free play time. The children go outdoors twice a day all year round and enjoy outside water days in the warmer weather.

We have really enjoyed the extra activities offered like gymnastics, dance and “summer camp.” It means I don’t have to try to fit these activities into our already busy schedule. The kids get to enjoy these activities during their normal school day.

Each child has had very loving teachers who welcome them to school each day. Many of the teachers were very helpful to me as a new mom with issues like transitioning to a sippy cup, potty training, discipline and more.

Every child care situation has challenges, whether you are caring for your children on your own each day, or your kids stay with a family member, or they are in a day care facility. We have found that Gateway has minimized these stresses. If we are unable to be with our children during the day, we want them to be in the best environment possible, and we feel that Gateway is that place.

Please feel free to contact us with questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Chris and Deron H.

To Whom It May Concern:

I would like to share my thoughts with parents who are considering Gateway Academy for their children. Please share this letter as needed.

First, let me provide a little history. In 2005, my family moved from out of state to Summerville South Carolina. Unfamiliar with the area and always having family members as the care giver for our child, starting the research for a day-care provider was a personal challenge. Fortunately for my family, we had arrangements where my parents would continue assisting with day-care until I felt satisfied with a child development center. Since both my husband and I work full time, having Grandma and Grandpa provide care for our child was ideal, or so I thought. I’ll provide an example later in this letter that explains that comment.

Nevertheless, it took me until mid to late 2006 to start my full fledged research. As a first time Mom, I had to have the best for my child. I must have called and visited over a dozen places. A few of the centers did not make it on the list to research for items such as how the phone was answered, or the background noise of what I would call ‘out of control children’. Throughout the research process, Gateway always was the front runner. I found myself comparing the other centers to Gateway.

Besides the normal items such as:

• Hours of Operation
• Location
• Security
• Staff
• Facility
• Overall Curriculum.

Here are a few items I found with Gateway:

• Management, teachers and staff presented themselves more professionally as a child development center then others.
• From the Infant room to the PreK room, the children were happy and interacting with one another.
• The teachers were attentive to the children’s surroundings, and each room contained the correct level of teaching materials for the appropriate age.

Once, my husband and I decided it was time for our 3 year old child to begin the next stage of his development and interact with kids his own age, on a more regular basis. I knew Gateway was the correct place. I will never forget the first week. I surprisingly handled the situation better than expected.

My son unknowingly validated our decision. The evening of his fourth day, he informed me that be knew Spanish. Now, neither my husband nor I speak Spanish. My level of Spanish goes back to the good old days of high school. Doubting that he learned Spanish in four days at Gateway, I simply replied with a, “You do?” Before I knew it my son started to speak, “Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocbo, nueve, diez.” At that very moment, I was overwhelmed with joy and my comfort level was unexplainable. He was so proud of himself. His confidence increased as he saw my positive reaction.

Examples like the one above became the normal conversation at home. I soon realized that Mommy, Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa did our best to teach him items in life. It was time to let go and let his Teachers and fellow classmates develop him while his Dad and Mom worked.

Overall, I have been very impressed with Gateway. I knew with each additional child I had, that they too would attend Gateway. My second child started as she turned one. I saw her development grow everyday. I knew the earlier I exposed her to the correct atmosphere that her development would flourish. My third child, who is the baby of the house started to attend Gateway at ten weeks. It is amazing to see the product that is delivered to the children.

I intend to keep all three at Gateway. My son will be going to kindergarten in the fall and will attend the after school program with Gateway.

I would like to leave you with one final thought. I think everyone has seen the MasterCard commercials. I created my own

One child in PreK … xx dollars,
One child in Preschool … xx dollars,
One child in Infants … xx dollars,
The comfort, experience and education provided at Gateway … Priceless.

Parent to Parent, if you would like to contact me for further information please speak to the Gateway Management and arrangements can be made.

Sincerely,
Ginny G.
Wife and Mother of Three