Gateway Preschool and Technology Center
Gateway Preschool and Technology Center was founded in 2013 by Terrie Hollingsworth and her husband, Mark Hollingsworth. Terrie graduated from LSU with a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and has taught various grades in the Ascension Parish Public School System for several years, including a K-1 transitional class. Her inspiration behind opening a preschool started with technology.
During her days of teaching, Terrie encountered many students who did not have a desire to learn. Due to this, she was determined to find a way to help children establish a drive to succeed. After attending a training on how to incorporate technology in the classroom, she realized that this may be the answer.
“Young children are so captivated by technology that they do not even realize that they are learning while using it. The smart boards in our classrooms are used to enhance the learning process and to help engage our students,” says Hollingsworth. She believed that adding technology in the classroom was a step in the right direction to building motivated learners, and she was right.
Gateway Preschool and Technology Center recently celebrated their 10 year anniversary. They opened in August 2013 with two buildings. Today, their campus contains five buildings with Smart technology in the classrooms, a Technology Lab, an indoor playground, a splash-pad, and four different playgrounds.
In the last year, they have added new opportunities for summer camps, including a new playground which contains a basketball court. Plans are in the works to add another building that will serve as a gym, along with space for the after-school students.
It is a Christian-based preschool with a vision to provide a safe environment that is stimulating, developmentally appropriate, and enhanced with technology. “We attribute our success to God and to our hard-working staff,” says Hollingsworth. “Our phenomenal teachers, staff, and administration work together as a team and are constantly striving to raise the bar by incorporating new ideas and experiences for our students to encounter.”
