The Face of EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION Gateway Preschool and Technology Center Terrie Hollingsworth PHOTO CREDIT: BUTTERFLIES OF HOPE PHOTOGRAPHY
G ateway Preschool and Technol- ogy Center was founded in 2013 by Terrie Hollingsworth and her husband, Mark Holling- sworth. Terrie graduated from LSU with a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and has taught in the Ascension Parish Public School System for several years. During her time there, she piloted a transitional K-1 class and Project Read, a multi-sensory approach to teaching at risk students how to read. Gateway Preschool is a Christian-based preschool with a vision to provide a safe environment that is stimulating, develop- mentally appropriate, and enhanced with technology. “We attribute our success to God and to our hard-working staff,” says Hollingsworth. “Our phenomenal teach- ers, staff, and administration work togeth-
er as a team and are constantly striving to raise the bar by incorporating new ideas and experiences for our students to encounter.” Her inspiration behind opening a pre- school started with technology. During her days of teaching, Terrie encountered many students who did not have a desire to learn. Due to this, she was determined to find a way to help children establish a drive to succeed. After attending a train- ing course on how to incorporate technol- ogy in the classroom, she realized that this may be the answer. “Young children are so captivated by technology that they do not even realize that they are learning while using it. The smart boards in our class- rooms are used to enhance the learning process and to help engage our students,” says Hollingsworth. She believes that add-
ing technology in the classroom was a step in the right direction to help motivate and engage students in the learning process. Gateway Preschool and Technology Center just completed construction of their Activity Center; a space dedicated to the after-school students. They opened in August 2013 with two buildings. Today, their campus contains 6 buildings with Smart technology in the classrooms, a Technology Lab, an indoor playground, a splash-pad, a large activity room and four different playgrounds. In the last year, they have added new opportunities for summer camps, including a new playground which contains a basketball court as well as the completion of the Activity Center.
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Faces & Places ® | Winter 2026 27
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