Garden Gate Child Development Center is moving to a new permanent home at Featherstone Center for the Arts in Oak Bluffs.
According to a press release, Garden Gate has been partnering with Featherstone for children’s art shows and professional development for many years. “Now we have the opportunity to make a greater community impact as strategic partners in the delivery of arts-based programming for children,” director of the center Leigh Ann Yuen said in the release.
Toddler, preschool, pre-k and kindergarten students will learn in well-appointed studio classrooms with visits to the art studios and art shows in the Francine Kelly Gallery, and nature walks through the six-acre campus and on the abutting Land Bank trails, the release states.
According to the release, feedback from families has been positive. “I’m excited for my daughter to grow and learn in this space,” mother Kim Garrison said in the release.
The move was made possible by grants from the Martha’s Vineyard Bank Charitable Foundation and the Couch Family Foundation, along with several other private donations.
Ann Smith, director of Featherstone, said in the release that the organization is excited to welcome Garden Gate to the art center campus. “We look forward to engaging in new collaborations and creating magical memories that will stimulate creative expression and lifelong learning!” Smith said in the release.
Garden Gate will celebrate this move and open up its classrooms to the public at an open house on Thursday, Sept. 22, from 5 to 7 pm. Visit gardengatemv.org or email gardengatecdc@hotmail.com for more information.
