Our Program

Mission

Gateway Academy Child Development Centers are dedicated to the philosophy that every child in our care is unique and special. Through careful guidance by our teachers, children are encouraged to grow and develop through age appropriate activities and curriculum. We value and respect the important role parent's play in their child's education. We believe that children learn best through play; that is why our program is developed around theme based curriculum that encourages children to express themselves in the areas of educational, social, physical, and emotional growth.

Each Gateway Academy Child Development Center has an educational curriculum centered on themes throughout the year. The themes are further integrated by webbing numbers, letters of the alphabet, colors, and shapes into the activities throughout the classroom. This curriculum has been developed in a joint effort between Gateway Academy and the University of South Carolina's Department of Early Childhood Education.

Learning Through Guided Play

At Gateway Academy, we believe that children learn and benefit from child-directed play activities. Through guided play, children make many important discoveries about their world; they acquire skill development in the areas of cognitive, social, emotional, and physical through devoting a portion of every day to guided play.

We believe that:

• Play is a critical way for children to learn and understand about themselves and the world.


• Play can assist children to grow socially. Through play, children learn how to get along with others, to share, to cooperate, and to handle their differences.


• Play helps children express their feelings appropriately.


• Small and large muscles can develop through play. When children play, they develop skills like running, jumping, and throwing. Children also learn how to manipulate small objects such as crayons, beads and puzzles.


• Play helps children grow intellectually; as children build block towers, pour water, or experiment with paint, they learn to think about and solve problems.


• Finally, CHILDREN LOVE TO PLAY.

Our primary goal with preschool age children is to help them become successful learners. Preschool age children are capable of a variety of skills and activities; they are refining and enhancing their academic skills while continuing to develop their social, emotional, and physical skills. In order to achieve skills in these areas, each Gateway Academy preschool room will include activities in the following interest centers: Art, Dramatic Play, Music, Blocks, Manipulatives, Sensory Play, and Outdoor / Movement activities. Each area will be explained more fully in the following section. Math, Science, Social Studies, and Books are interwoven throughout these interest centers.

Activity Centers - click a center to learn more...