There’s something about watching your little one recognize and connect with another one that just makes you feel all warm and gooey inside.
Those first “friends” are so important. While babies don’t “play” with each other, they may stare, babble, or scream excitedly back and forth. They may also ignore each other at times, which is ok too!
At Gymboree Play & Music, we give you and your little one ample opportunities to connect with other children, adults and families in a warm, inviting space.
It’s never too early, or too late, for your family to join our family at Gymboree Play & Music.
As with many of our franchisees, Liz Edwards discovered Gymboree Play & Music as a young mom. Her family had recently moved to Walnut Creek, CA, and she joined with her 10 month old son.
The family relocated to Southern California, and Liz was sad to discover that there was no Gymboree Play & Music location near her new home. One day, while watching Good Morning America, she was surprised to realize that it was a franchise, as she had assumed it was a local program. She immediately reached out to investigate available areas in So Cal, and purchased two territories.
Liz and her mom worked together for 20 years. She now has a wonderful business partner, Heather, and her daughter Morgan is the Manager. She has watched the brand grow and evolve for almost 40 years, but her passion for the business remains just as strong as when she first started.
Liz says “I love how it’s been in the family and am appreciative of my partner and our staff. Our business survived Covid due to the love and loyalty of our customers. Thank you to all our Gymboree families, you truly bring us joy every day! What a great job we have!!”
Gymboree Play & Music has been supporting the physical, cognitive and social-emotional development of young children for over 45 years. Find a location near you today!
Back in 2016, we were looking for a way to celebrate our 40th anniversary. We created an event, held at all of our North American locations on the same day, and called it “National Day of Play”. Thousands of families across the United States and Canada visited, and experienced the magic of Gymboree Play & Music first-hand.
We had to suspend our festivities for a few years due to the pandemic, but were able to bring it back last year. And now, for the sixth time, we are excited to host families of little ones as we open our doors to the community and celebrate childhood on Saturday, August 19th!
You and your little ones (ages birth to five) can:
Parenting a young child can be full of amazing and magical moments.
But, unless you are lucky enough to have a group of friends or close family who are in the same point in their parenting journey and lives, it can also feel isolating and lonely.
For over 45 years, Gymboree Play & Music has been creating a fun, welcoming space where parents can gather not only to support their child’s physical, cognitive and social-emotional development, but where they can connect and build friendships that can last a lifetime.
If you’re lucky enough to already have friends at the same place in their life, bring them along to a Gymboree Play & Music location near you! We can all use more members in our “tribe”.
Erica Lincoln was a stay-at-home mom, taking her young daughter to classes at Gymboree Play & Music, when she decided to start teaching art classes there on Saturdays.
Eight years later, when she was considering leaving Gymboree to open her own business in the restaurant industry, she was approached by the owner about purchasing the location instead. She immediately said “yes”!
“I think we have the best jobs ever! I could probably write a book with the silly comments and stories our School Skills kids tell me. I also love teaching the babies classes. Watching them grow from infants to toddlers to preschoolers is the most rewarding experience I can think of.”
Pooja Gupta was working in a high-stress job in Manhattan, when the market crash of 2008 gave her a chance to re-evaluate her career. She started taking her niece to her classes at Gymboree Play & Music, and realized that this was a business that she could feel passionate about.
She recognized that there was a huge need for quality programs for young children in her area, and started researching possible locations. She debated the pros and cons between various types of real estate options, and decided to start out in an older building in a third floor space. It allowed her to learn and make mistakes because she had kept her overhead relatively low. She gambled that the quality of her programming would offset any inconvenience for the families, and she was right – her business thrived.
After a decade of success, she started wondering if she should shut down her profitable space and move to a “better” location with higher rent. Another national crisis – the pandemic shutdown – forced her hand and gave her the opportunity to find a new space.
If you’ve noticed a few gambling terms sprinkled in here, it’s because Pooja is an amateur poker player, even playing in two national tournaments in Las Vegas! She’s also on the professional board for a non-profit that supports families dealing with homelessness.
Pooja loves teaching and “developing little humans”. She says that teaching helps her keep the spark, saying “It reminds me why I’m a Gymboree Play & Musicfranchisee and what I’m doing for my community”.
Love for the generations of families who have been a part of our programs for over 45 years.
❤️ Thank you for being a part of our community ❤️
It’s never too late to join, and find a community of families all supporting their little one’s early childhood development. Find a Gymboree Play & Music location near you today.
At Gymboree Play & Music, we not only give you the opportunity to put your responsibilities on “mute” and enter your child’s world of play, we encourage it! Dare we even suggest that you turn your phone off? 😘
Young children learn best while challenged and engaged in creative play, supported by the grown-ups who love them.
That’s one of the many reasons generations of families have considered the programs at Gymboree Play & Music to be an integral part of their child’s early learning adventure for over 45 years.
Connect with friends – new and old – and embrace the joy and wonder of playing, laughing, and learning with your little one at a Gymboree Play & Music location near you.
Like many of our franchisees, Wendy Shultz came to Gymboree Play & Music through her child. She and her husband, Mike, had transferred to the Indianapolis area for Mike’s job. Their two older sons were in school all day, and Wendy was home with a one-year old, desperate to meet other moms.
She discovered a Gymboree Play & Music class in the basement of a church, and was hooked. The owner approached Wendy to train as a teacher and she fell in love with the creativity that our programs allowed her to bring to her classes, the joy she saw on faces – adult and child – and the relationships that grew, week-over-week.
Twenty-eight years later, the Carmel location and “Miss Wendy” are still going strong. Ever humble, Wendy states “we are blessed to have a great team to make all the magic happen”. She goes on to say “I really love it when past clients visit with their (now older) child to see us and let us know what positive memories they have about the experience we provided. Many past Gymboree kids now bring their little ones to class”.
Wendy and Mike are very active in their community, running food drives and supporting the Indiana Diaper Bank at their location. Their special events are epic, and Wendy is always willing to share ideas and the insights she’s gained over more than two decades with other Gymboree Play & Music franchisees.
The days can be long, but the early childhood years are short. Gymboree Play & Music can help fill those days, while you make memories to last a lifetime!
Like many of our franchisees, Jigna Vyas was introduced to Gymboree Play & Music through her first child. They attended classes together, and both made lasting friendships. When Jigna had her second child, she realized that she wanted to step back from her demanding Engineering career, and find a business that would afford her a work-life balance. Her love of our programs made Gymboree Play & Music the perfect choice.
Jigna enjoys both sides of the business: running the day-to-day operation and managing her staff, plus building relationships with the families who attend her location.
“I have met some wonderful parents, grandparents, family members, and of course the little ones at Gymboree. It is such a joy to be part of special moments; from rolling over as a baby to taking the first few steps, or even jumping off a step box for the first time. My staff has been with me through thick and thin, and they are an asset to my business. Many of my teachers have become my close friends and I have had the pleasure of attending weddings, baby showers, and birthday parties of their kids.”
Parents at her location thank Jigna for providing a safe, clean, stress and pressure free place for their children to play, socialize and learn, and for families to connect and build a community.
