Willow Glen Resident
Business
San Jose mom uses 'playtime' to educate parents, improve children's motor skills
By Tiffany Carney
Playtime isn't just for fun anymore. San Jose mom Janice Morreira uses parachutes, bean bags, hula hoops, a trampoline and other gymnastic movements to help children develop better motor skills at her gym.
Since 2003, Morreira and her husband, Dave, have been educating parents and children about the benefits of following a gymnastics-based fitness program at an early age.
"Gymnastics is a great foundation. It really teaches [children] how to manipulate and move their bodies around," says Janice Morreira, who owns and operates four of The Little Gym franchise facilities, including The Little Gym of San Jose (West), The Little Gym of San Jose (South) in Almaden Valley, The Little Gym of Milpitas, and her newest location, Little Gym Sunnyvale, which opened at the start of this year.
Morreira, a mother of five, decided to combine her business background with her cheerleading coach experience to open her first Little Gym in the West San Jose neighborhood in 2003.
The more she learned about the franchise, the more she wanted to be a part of the program.
The Little Gym curriculum utilizes gymnastic movements to promote motor skills and confidence in a noncompetitive environment, she said.
The unique 20-week curriculum was developed for children four months to 12 years old and also focuses on social awareness and group cooperation.
"We really educate from infancy up," Morreira says of the parent and child programs, offered up to age 3.
Children can enroll in the core gymnastics course or supplemental classes including dance, karate and, the newest addition, cheerleading.
Through free-trial classes offered at each location, students are given an opportunity to pinpoint their interests.
The Little Gym provides a noncompetitive environment where skill-level is not a factor. Morreira says everyone at the gym understands children learn and grow at their own pace.
"We won't force a child to do anything they don't want to do. We will encourage them to try to take on new challenges and new risks in each class," Morreira says.
Even the music used fosters growth. The one-of-a-kind music used in each class is created and written by The Little Gym founder, Robin West. West uses ukuleles, guitars and other instruments to produce songs that give direction to students by including "walk" or "jump" as well as positive messages.
Instruction is given by about 51 teachers spread over Morreira's four gyms, but she does not seek world-class gymnasts when hiring. Instead she is interested in how the aspiring teachers interact with students.
"You have to have a passion for working with children," Morreira says, which is why she hired Nadine Gonzales.
Gonzales is the program director who teaches three to four classes each day. She has taught each curriculum to every age group, but currently works with children age 3 to 6 and loves every minute of it.
"I am not a cheerleader, not a dancer, not a gymnast, but I teach all of them," Gonzales says. The intense training program allows her to feel comfortable with each curriculum. She is also excited about the new cheerleading program.
Mother of four Eleen Kamas says her children can't get enough time at the gym. She has also grown to love The Little Gym concept and tells other parents about the program every chance she gets.
After just one class, her children were hooked. The sense of accomplishment they come home with after mastering a new skill or challenge keeps them excited about the course, she says.
Kamas joins other parents each week in the waiting area where a large viewing window allows a glimpse into the class.
Gonzales says the best part of teaching is "witnessing the developmental milestones, physically, emotionally, socially."
For more information, contact The Little Gym of Sunnyvale, located at 781 E. El Camino Real, at 408.739.7222; The Little Gym San Jose (West), located at 5357 Prospect Road, at 408.366.2222; The Little Gym San Jose (South), located at 1375 Blossom Hill Road, Suite 45 at 408.723.7222; The Little Gym of Milpitas located at 309 S. Abbott Ave. at 408.262.3333.
