1. Are the programs set up to positively influence your child's other activities and education?

At Sapphire Gymnastics Academy (SGA) we realize that gymnastics is a sport that has a positive effect not only on all others sports, but also on educational performance. Research has shown that children who participate in gymnastics have an increased performance in the following educational areas: social and organizational skills, sensory processing, postural control, bilateral integration and body awareness.

The curriculum at SGA is designed around the age appropriate developmental milestones laid out by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Our 2-5 year old program is based around a fun theme of the month and is intended to keep your child on the right track to develop skills for use in school. Our 6 and older program is designed not only around the AAP developmental milestones, but also the USA Gymnastics recommended skill progressions.

2. The teaching style of the Academy?

We don't tell our teachers to be nice. We hire nice people. All of the teachers truly care about children and want your child's gymnastics experience to be positive. If your child is shy, outgoing, audio learner, visual learner, picks things up immediately, would like to be shown a skill a few times before trying on her own, or a bit rowdy, our teachers do their best to figure this out and teach according to your child's personality.

To facilitate a strong student-teacher bond our teachers are scheduled to teach the same classes each week. That means that when your child comes to class she will know whom her teacher is and how the class will be run. It is our belief that children do best with consistency. Our teachers try to avoid conflicts that require them to miss classes.

3. What are the class sizes?

If a gymnastics class has fewer students in it, each child will receive more personalized attention, learn more and have more fun. When students are young it is easier for a teacher to maintain control over the class and make sure each student understands the concepts and instructions. Our smaller class sizes make sure that fundamental concepts are not being missed. A smaller class size also allows our teachers to ensure that students are not developing bad habits or improper technique.

Our gym limits all gymnastics classes (ages 6 and up) to a maximum of just 8 students per class. Our “pre-school” classes are limited to a maximum of just 6 (2 & 3 year old) or 7 (4 & 5 year old) students per class. Our teachers do have the authority to limit the registration of a class to even smaller numbers if they feel additional students would be a distraction.

4. Can I get immediate assistance and customer service?

In many gyms the teacher or gym owner conducts the classes and does the administration. By trying to do two jobs at once, the class may suffer as the teacher has to use class time for customer service issues, or the gym may have no customer service available if the teacher is in class. To have a good experience it is important to choose a gym that can assist you by phone or in person, even if a teacher is occupied in class. Our gym has office staff on hand during all regular class times, so you can get immediate assistance.