Center Spotlight: Cheers to 25 Years!!
The Becky Gates Children’s Center is turning 25 this month and we will be celebrating in October! Save the date for October 27, 2023!
The Texas A&M Children’s Center was established in 1998 as a university childcare program serving 158 young children. Today, the Becky Gates Children’s Center serves 200 students from the ages of 12-months to five years old, with an additional summer school age program in the months of June and July. The families of children attending BGCC have at least one parent/guardian that is affiliated with Texas A&M University.
In 2006 a generous donation was made by Dorothy and Arthur McFerrin Jr. to rename the center in honor of Becky Gates, wife of former U.S. Defense Secretary and Texas A&M University President Dr. Robert Gates. Mrs. Gates and Mrs. McFerrin bonded through a shared passion of improving education and childcare. Becky Gates believes that, “We have to take care of our youngest Aggies.” (Peshek, 2019). While at Texas A&M, Becky Gates was active throughout the university. She was involved with the Texas A&M Women’s Club and the Federation of Texas A&M University Mothers’ Clubs. She was an honorary president of both organizations as well as an honorary member of the Texas A&M Extension Service Club, serving and supporting all three of these groups in their activities.
The Becky Gates Children’s Center is a nationally accredited, 4-Star, licensed early childhood care and education center with award winning nature-based playground and nutritional menus. Our premier center is dedicated to providing an exemplary education for the children of Texas A&M University students, faculty, and staff year-round. We embrace emergent, play-based, and child-centered approaches building strong foundations for our 200 young learners. Through hands-on exploration and imaginative play, we create an engaging learning environment that nurtures children’s love of discovery and innovation. We support Texas A&M University students by offering discounted childcare fees as well as offering a graduate student scholarship. We take pride in serving as a clinical and practicum site and employing over 60 student employees. By collaborating with aspiring educators and researchers, we contribute to the development of future leaders in the field of early childhood education, education, and beyond. Our dedication to developing the next generation of educators ensures that our team stays at the forefront of innovative teaching practices. The Becky Gates Children’s Center is a hub of knowledge creation. We actively participate in groundbreaking research advancing the field of early childhood education. By engaging in research, we continually refine our approach for excellence. Together, we lay the foundation for a lifetime of learning and bright futures.
The future holds exciting opportunities for BGCC. Through the generosity of the donations from the McFerrin’s and support and love for childcare from Becky Gates, they were able to Open the Gates to a Lifetime of Learning. If you are interested in supporting the future endeavors of BGCC, please donate here.
