When my oldest daughter started preschool, I asked her teacher if there would be any exercise in addition to the regular crafts, story time and ABC lessons. The teacher explained to me that while they would love to get the kids moving, it’s too complicated to store the equipment and too expensive to hire certified fitness instructors.
“I could do it!” I told her. After all, I’d owned and operated gymnastics and tumbling facilities since 1988. And teaching children brings me tremendous joy.
I brought the mats, the equipment, lots of fun exercises and the kids had a ball. The parents were grateful to me—and not just because I wore out their kids right before nap time—but because I showed their children that fitness is fun.
The word spread and soon churches wanted me to hold classes for their kids’ groups. Recreation centers asked if I could come for an hour at the end of their mothers’ morning out programs. I was busy; I was making money AND I didn’t have to find daycare for my daughter because I could just take her with me! By the time I had my second daughter, I was ready to officially open my business…PreSchoolGym was born.
I knew I couldn’t keep this great idea to myself. Now people all over the country can own and operate PreSchoolGym for their communities. When I think back to my first unofficial PreSchoolGym class at my daughter’s school, I remember the kids’ exhilarated faces as they tumbled, danced and played. Now I get to see those faces every day. That is the reason I do this.
Best of health,
Christine Neely, owner and founder of PreSchoolGym
Christine Neely is a certified Georgia PreK-12 Health and Physical Education teacher with over 15 years of teaching experience in public and private schools. She is certified by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and works as a group fitness instructor, An American Heart Association CPR and First Aid instructor and health and wellness specialist. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Health and Physical Education from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She lives in Alpharetta, GA with her husband, Sean, and her daughters, Jenny, 7, and Jamie, 6.