Preschool: Ashley’s Garden

Every child at Ashley’s Garden learns age-appropriate information and skills, such as letter names and sounds, numbers, proper classroom behavior, introductory science and more. Pre-academics are only part of the story at Ashley’s Garden, however, as students also learn from a broad slate of movement activities (dance, gymnastics and swimming) to promote brain organization and development. In fact, research has demonstrated that preschool gymnastics enhances brain development through new neural networks in the brain, making it a perfect fit in our preschool – imagine, NEW neural networks! Ashley’s Garden offers a one of a kind opportunity.

S’Cool Moves®As research expands our understanding of brain development and the process of learning, the strong connection between movement and learning emerges. “Neuroscientists have begun to discover that movement and exploration during childhood are also an essential to being able to focus, pay attention, concentrate, follow directions, think clearly, and problem solve, all essential components of learning,” states Tim Burns, author of The Brain in Motion: How Movement Enhances Learning and Improves Brain Integration.

Research has shown that movement and the stimulation of the vestibular system in early childhood actually helps prepare and develop the brain for what we term “higher learning” (focus, concentration, problem solving, speech, language, reading, writing, and social-emotional maturity). John J. Ratey, MD, had this to say about movement and brain development, “Mounting evidence show that movement is crucial to every other brain function, including memory, emotion, language, and learning…Our “higher” brain functions have evolved from movement and still depend on it.” Ashley’s Garden offers a one of a kind opportunity. Our teachers are trained in S’cool Moves® (a delightful integrative movement program designed to improve behavior, focus and academics) and ZooPhonics® (a fun, energetic introduction to phonics and reading), but most importantly, they love working with children.

Play and fun are important elements of our program as we know how important exploration and imagination are to learning. Our focus is to create an environment that promotes a positive learning attitude as this is essential to success in life. Our theme-based curriculum fosters social, physical and mental development within a safe and nurturing environment.

Dance: During dance instruction, children learn balance, self-expression and rhythmic movement. Rather than focusing on a particular style of dance such as tap or ballet, Ashley’s Garden students learn via creative movement. Dance instruction takes place in our dance studios and is led by one of our dance instructors with assistance from our Ashley’s Garden staff.

Gymnastics: No one in Las Cruces has been teaching gymnastics as long as Gym Magic and it all begins in our preschool programs! Our preschool gymnastics program has its own dedicated area, Tumble Land, loaded with colorful, age-appropriate equipment. It’s truly a child’s delight, filled with whimsical murals and colors. Ashley’s Garden students receive the same gymnastics lessons as children in our regular TumbleBug gymnastics classes. Students increase their coordination, balance, flexibility and confidence as they use child-sized balance beams, rings, bars, mats and more. Our certified coaches from Gym Magic’s gymnastics program teach the lessons with assistance from the Ashley’s Garden staff.

Swimming: Gym Magic’s Swim School, The Lily Pad is the only swim school in New Mexico that is a member of the US Swim School Association and the only dedicated learn-to-swim program in Las Cruces. Preschoolers in Ashley’s Garden learn to swim by following The Lily Pad’s standard curriculum. Children are divided into small groups and taught at their skill level, even if they’re getting into a pool for the very first time. Water instruction is led by certified coaches from The Lily Pad with assistance from the Ashley’s Garden staff.

Ashley’s Garden honors the memory of Ashley Westberg, a former Gym Magic gymnast and coach. Ashley was a gifted teacher who transformed the lives of many children during her tenure at Gym Magic. Her smiles of compassion, fun and understanding inspired us to create a nurturing place for children to grow and to learn. Her legacy lives on in Ashley’s Garden.

Ashley’s Garden is fully licensed by the state of New Mexico. Our staff is committed to providing a fun, safe and interesting place for children. Our teachers are hired for their love of teaching and working with young children, and then trained in the skills necessary for classroom, preschool gymnastics area, dance studio or swimming pool. We maintain a 10 to 1 ratio in the classroom, but groups are even smaller during dance, gym (6 to 1) and swim (5 to 1).

Ashley’s Garden begins at 8:00 am. As a courtesy, we open at 7:30 am for parents who have to be at work by 8:00. Parents are required to sign-in their children in Ashley’s Garden. Any special instructions for the day can be given at sign-in time. Please do not drop your child off at the front door, front desk or leave your child with other gym staff members – you must take them into Ashley’s Garden and sign-in at that time.

Children must be picked up and signed-out inside Ashley’s Garden no later than 5:30 pm. A late fee ($5 for every 5 minutes) will be assessed if parents are late. Emergencies do arise. Please contact the gym office at 523-1616 as soon as possible to alert our staff if you will be late so they can plan accordingly.

Programs hours are as follows: Tuition

Full Time – 8 am to 5 pm $700 per month
Part-Time Morning – 8 am to 1 pm $480 per month
Part-Time Afternoon – 1 pm to 5 pm $400 per month

Tuition: Tuition is paid in advance and is due on the first of each month. Three payment options are offered: 1) Automated check; 2) Automated credit card; and 3) Cash payments with a minimum of 2 months in advance.

We strongly suggest the use of our ‘no hassle’ Automated Systems: monthly checks are run at no additional charge; credit cards are charged an additional 3% to cover credit card fees charged to us. Checks and credit cards are run on the 1^st of the month. If the first of the month falls on the weekend, tuition will be charged on Monday.

Cash payments: If the 1^st of the month falls on the weekend, payment will be due on Monday and considered late on Tuesday. A late fee of $20 will be charged by the end of the day on Tuesday with an additional $5 charge per day until tuition is paid in full.

We strongly suggest the use of our Automated Systems as this guarantees no late fees and no hassle. Any NSF checks or declined credit cards will incur a $30 fee. Please note: A 30 day written notice is required for withdrawal.

Full-time tuition is $700 per month (+ tax). Part-time tuition (25 hours per week) is $480 per month (+ tax) for the Morning Session and $400 (+ tax) for the Afternoon Session. Tuition is determined by taking our yearly expenses and dividing the expenses into 12 equal monthly payments (regardless of the number of weeks in the month). Our expenses are based on 48 weeks (4 weeks per month) out of the 52 weeks in a year.

Tuition in Ashley’s Garden includes weekly lessons in gymnastics, swimming, dance and S’cool Moves. These exceptional programs are included in the tuition for Ashley’s Garden. The cost of these additional programs, if taken outside AG, would be $265 per month for full time students and $133 per month for part-time students. We consider this to be quite a savings!

Please be advised that tuition is not based on attendance. Tuition is due whether your child is in attendance or not as we must staff in advance. When you enroll in Ashley’s Garden, you are reserving a spot for your child in our program. Therefore, you will be required to pay for that spot even if your child is absent.

Vacation & Closures: Our regular program is closed for 2 weeks at Christmas, 1 week at Spring Break and 1 week in August for fall preparation. As our tuition is divided into 12 equal payments to cover approximately 48 weeks per year out of 52 weeks in the year, the holiday closures are not prorated. If your family requires care during these holidays, we typically offer day camps during those weeks. A camp fee will be charged for those weeks.

We are typically closed for the following federal holidays: Memorial Day, Labor Day, 4^th of July and Thanksgiving (Thursday and Friday). This allows our staff to also enjoy being with their families for the holidays.

Withdrawal: Withdrawal from Ashley’s Garden requires a 30 day written notice. If it becomes necessary for us to dis-enroll your child, you will be given a 2 week notice to find alternate arrangements. All fees will be in effect until that time and are non-refundable.

PLEASE DO NOT SEND A SICK CHILD OR A CHILD THAT HAS NOT BEEN FEVER FREE IN THE LAST 24 HOURS TO ASHLEY’S GARDEN.

“Gone is the shy little girl who would hide behind my leg when adults would speak to her. In her place is the social butterfly who walks though the gym greeting everyone. She would go to class (Ashley’s Garden) seven days a week if possible…Thank you for providing such a positive and happy place for our kids to grow and learn”, Monique G.

“To us, the ‘magic’ in Gym Magic comes down to a few simple things: self-respect, self-confidence, courage, and good sportsmanship. We live your vision…Gym Magic really is a great place to grow!” Jim F.

Graduates of Ashley’s Garden are typically noticed by their kindergarten teachers: one parent shared that her son’s teacher asked where he had gone to preschool as he was the best prepared in her classroom. She mentioned that only one other student was as well prepared, only to find out that he, too, was from Ashley’s Garden (Coleen B.).

We invite you to join us in this great endeavor of establishing a positive learning attitude! Childhood is the special time of growth and adventure as new ideas and information are encountered and explored. We understand how precious one’s children are, and we invite you to join us for these precious years of learning that lay the foundation for their future!