Frequently Asked Questions

How old does my child have to be to attend Golden Gate Academy?
Golden Gate Academy accepts healthy children between 2 to 5 years of age. Our entrance cut-off date is the same as the area public schools. California is switching their kindergarten cut-off date from December 2 nd to September 1 st by the 2014 School Year. We will be following their phasing-in process that will begin in the 2012 School Year. Please refer to the chart below for the date of birth cut-off dates for each classroom in correspondence to the school year. Contact the Director with any questions regarding cut-off dates.
Example: A child who wants to begin in the 2 year-old classroom for the 2013-2014 school year must have been born between October 1, 2010 and September 30, 2011.
  2011 - 2012 2012 - 2013 2013 - 2014 2014 - 2015 2015 - 2016
2’s Dec '08 - Nov '09 Nov '09 - Oct '10 Oct '10 - Sep '11 Sep '11 - Aug '12 Sep '12 - Aug '13
3’s Dec '07 - Nov '08 Nov '08 - Oct '09 Oct '09 - Sep '10 Sep '10 - Aug '11 Sep '11 - Aug '12
4’s Dec '06 - Nov '07 Nov '07 - Oct '08 Oct '08 - Sep '09 Sep '09 - Aug '10 Sep '10 - Aug '11
Kind. Dec '05 - Nov '06 Nov '06 - Oct '07 Oct '07 - Sep '08 Sep '08 - Aug '09 Sep '09 - Aug '10
What are GGA's entrance Requirements?

Golden Gate Academy is a department of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary.  GGA is a private school and reserves the right to accept or refuse any application.  If an application is refused for any reason, the application fee will be refunded within 30 days of the refusal notice.  The submission of an application, signed by parent or legal guardian, along with application fee does not guarantee enrollment or indicate any right to available spaces at Golden Gate Academy.

According to California law parents/guardians must turn in all enrollment forms including medical forms and immunization records before a child is allowed to attend school.  The following immunizations are required for those children 2-years-old and older:

Polio (OPV or IPV) 3 Immunizations
DPT/Dta/DT/Td 4 Immunizations
MMR 1 Immunization
HIB 1 Immunization
HEP B 3 Immunizations
Varicella 1 Immunization

If there is any immunization exemption based on parent decision, the Personal Belief Affidavit must be read and signed before the child may attend Golden Gate Academy.  Golden Gate Academy will provide the Immunization Record form containing the affidavit.

Statement of Non-Discrimination

Golden Gate Academy admits students of any race, color, and national or ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational or admission policies, or other programs.
Is Golden Gate Academy a year-round program?
  • Yes, GGA is a year-round program and the contracts are for 12-months (September through August)
  • Our academic school year runs from September through May
  • Our summer camp program runs from June through August
  • Children must stay enrolled through the summer months in order to guarantee their spot for the following school year
  • Children may enroll any time during the year providing there is space available
  • Each Spring families are required to re-register their child if they plan to continue at GGA
  • Enrollment for the whole year (September through August) begins the Spring before with Priority Enrollment for current students first. Current students are guaranteed their same schedules year-to-year but may put in a request for a change in their schedule for the next year during the spring registration.
  • GGA is a year-round school and enrollment is continuously filled throughout the year and summer as space becomes available. Applications are accepted year round.
What is Golden Gate Academy's Statement of Faith
As part of the Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary (GGBTS), GGA embraces the Statement of Faith as described in the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. You may read the entire message here.
What are the Core Values of GGA?
  • God • We want to introduce God’s plan for the children, encouraging His values and character into their lives. (Jeremiah 29:11; John 3:16 and 13:34)
  • Jesus Christ. We value Christ as our main focus by striving to ensure that He is always the center of everything we do and teach. (Matthew 6:33)
  • The Child.
    • We value the uniqueness of each child and encourage hands-on exploration, creativity and innovation through the use of developmentally-appropriate curriculum. (Psalm 78:1-4; Psalm 127:3)
    • We value formative discipline as a means for guiding and teaching that will build up a child’s self-worth, confidence, self-discipline and self-control. (Psalm 25:4-7; Proverbs 22:6)
    • We value the health and safety of every child and strive to provide a loving and safe environment. (Isaiah 54:13)
    The Family.
    • We value a child’s family as the most important part of their lives and parents as our partners in teaching. (Deuteronomy 6:7)
    • We value on-going communication with the parents about their child’s experience at school. Each child is treated with discretion and confidentiality.
    • We value the parents as an important part of the overall school success and encourage involvement in their child’s preschool experience.
    • We value partnering with families by providing opportunities and resources to increase their knowledge of child development and parenting skills. (Genesis 18:19; Ephesians 6:4)
    The Teachers and Administration
    • We value our staff as professionals devoted to the development of young children.
    • We value team work and the promotion of positive and edifying conversations and relationships. (Ephesians 4:29; 1 Timothy 4:12).
    • We value our relationship to Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary and aspire to be loyal and respect those of authority. (Romans 13:1-3).
    • We value our opportunity as a Lab School for GGBTS and will promote an appropriate lab experience for Seminary students.
What is the Educational Philosophy of GGA?
At Golden Gate Academy (GGA) we offer age appropriate activities that are designed to develop the whole child. The curriculum offers opportunities for learning in language arts, math, science, social studies, physical education, fine arts, foreign language and Bible.  The Academy also offers a rich environment for play.
We believe that through play and guided learning, children develop all the skills they need for school.  Childhood is a time for fun, exploration and self-discovery.  Golden Gate Academy offers an environment that encourages the love of learning, independence and provides opportunities to explore new ideas.
We believe that all things are possible through God. Because of this, we base our instruction on Christian beliefs and Biblical principles. Each child is seen as a true gift from God and is treated as such (Psalm 127:3). Because each child is unique and has been given different gifts and abilities, we work to initially discover each child’s strengths. We then are able to design activities that will build on these strengths while at the same time, encourage development in areas of weakness in the child.
>As you participate in and visit our school, please remember that this is a child’s world.  Work is play!  Concept development comes from experimenting with the environment.  We direct our children in some of their play, so that they will learn important concepts.  We also provide free time for them to explore the world and learn on their own.
Children’s ideas of art, beauty and fun do not always coincide with our adult ideas.  Be open to their imagination and see what you can learn from them.  Welcome back to the world of childhood, imaginative play and endless curiosity.  Come and enjoy learning!