About Our School

The Althea Gibson Early Childhood Education Academy is located at 490 William Street. The center bears the name of tennis great Althea Gibson, a woman of many firsts. In 1957, Gibson became the first African-American woman to compete and win at Wimbledon and Forest Hills. That same year, she was named Woman Athlete Of The Year by the Associated Press. In 1958, Gibson repeated as Wimbledon and U.S. National Tennis Champion. Her accomplishments included induction into the Eastern Hall of Fame in New York City, receiving the National Coalition of 100 Black Women's Candace Award and serving as special consultant to the New Jersey Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports during the late 1980s. Althea Gibson is a champion for the cause of health as well as the educational, cultural and recreational needs of the inner city community. Miss Gibson died on September 28, 2003, and we mourn her loss. She was 76 years old.

 

Althea Gibson Early Childhood Education Academy houses full day kindergarten and preschool classes. The school consists of four pre-k classes, one pre-k special education class and four kindergarten classes. All pre-k and kindergarten classrooms are inclusion classes, serving the needs of all students. We have two play areas, which are set up for early childhood education. This facility is structured to create a learning environment in which each child's intellectual, emotional, physical and social growth are carefully cultivated and guided. Its design provides a developmentally appropriate experience for all students. The goal of our program is to enable children to take charge of their learning as they participate in experiences within a curriculum that provides for the growth and development of the whole child.