Your School
Just one visit will show you that Winwood Children’s Center, Gainesville II is not an ordinary preschool. Formerly known as Lake Manassas Academy, our campus was designed by early childhood educators and arranged to give young children endless opportunity for positive interactions with the environment, peers, and teachers. Our preschool children explore a vast array of Learning Labs throughout the day and we take a balanced approach towards physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development that prepares young minds for success in elementary school and beyond.
Thanks to the flexibility of our Ascend Curriculum, we take an individualized approach to early childhood education and encourage every child to progress towards age-appropriate goals at their natural pace. New skills are introduced sequentially in 9 different learning domains each month and activities are modified to fit the interests and current skill level of each child. This skill-based approach to early education ensures that every child feels engaged, supported, and challenged and makes learning fun!
Another significant part of our curriculum is our Kind Child program. Kind Child is a year-long program for children ages two and older that helps our teachers nurture and strengthen every child’s social and emotional skills. We have found that when we focus on the emotional well-being of each child in our care, we strengthen our school as well. We are confident that Kind Child will continue to strengthen the culture of our entire preschool center by elevating every child’s feelings of happiness, improving their well-being, and enriching their friendships.
Providing your child an exceptional education is an important part of our promise to you. The educational experiences that children take part in at Cadence Academy Preschool are much different than what you’ll find at other preschools because our curriculum takes a skill-based approach to early education.
Our proprietary Ascend Curriculum helps children reach important developmental milestones and progressively builds valuable skill sets within 9 subjects every month. These experiences start in our Infant & Toddler program and progress all the way through Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten. Important skills are taught in every program and fine-tuned just before kindergarten in Kindergarten Club.
Cadence KickStart™ Soccer is a high-energy enrichment program designed to build confidence, coordination, and teamwork through fun, age-appropriate soccer play. Led by the teachers your child already knows and trusts, it’s seamlessly built into the school day.
Designed for ages 3–5
12-week program (once per week)
40–50 minute sessions
Builds balance, coordination, and motor skills
Encourages listening, teamwork, and confidence
Integrated into your child’s daily schedule
Talk to your School Director today to learn more and enroll.
Cooking Up Confidence, One Recipe At A Time!
Kids Café is a hands-on cooking program where children explore new foods, build confidence, and develop essential life skills through fun, guided kitchen experiences.
Talk to your School Director today to learn more and enroll.
Winwood Children’s Center, Gainesville II is located less than a mile south of Lee Highway (US 29) in Gainesville, Virginia. Our school is next to Baltusrol Boulevard at 14930 Holly Knoll Ln, Gainesville, VA 20155. Need Before & After School Care? We provide transportation to Pine Branch Elementary School in Bristow, Haymarket Elementary School and Mountain View Elementary School in Haymarket, and Glenkirk Elementary School and Buckland Mills Elementary School in Gainesville, VA. We are also offering expanded School-Age programs to support all-day distance learning and more.
From a young age, I knew that I wanted to work with children, and I am passionate about early childhood education. I enjoy my role as a director because I get the opportunity to lead educators who have become my second family and truly develop them into amazing teachers. When I started working with Cadence Education in 2017 the Jr. Kindergarten classroom was my home until I was promoted to Assistant director in 2022. In 2023, I was promoted to school director. I loved teaching Jr. Kindergarten because it was rewarding to see the children come into my class not being able to read/write and leave the classroom being ready and prepared for their new journeys to Kindergarten. I am married and have a son and I spend my free time with my family playing card and board games and I like to read and work on DIY projects.
Kari Willard serves as the Assistant Director and is passionate about creating a safe, supportive environment where children can learn and be themselves. She studied Early Childhood Development at Northern Virginia Community College and began her career in 2021. Kari joined Winwood Children’s Center shortly after and has primarily worked as a three’s teacher while supporting other classrooms. She loves helping children build new skills and forming meaningful connections with each child and family.
Outside of work, Kari enjoys reading, crafting, gaming with family, and spending time with loved ones. She is excited to continue growing with her school and wants families to know she truly cares about every child who walks through the doors.
I have been with the Winwood family for the past 11 years and it truly has become an extension of my family. I love being able to care for all the children here. I started working in the infant classroom and moved to the toddler classroom 4 years ago and I’m loving every minute of it. I love teaching children by nurturing their curiosity and helping them explore their world. I am excited to help my students reach new milestones and create great memories. When I am not teaching, I enjoy spending time with my family.
We want to learn about your experience with Winwood Children's Center, Gainesville II. Please take a moment to share your experience with us and let us know how we are doing.
Every family’s routine is unique — and your childcare should be too. With Cadence Education, our Family of Schools may offer various schedule options designed to fit your life.
Each of our school’s are unique, and may not offer all of the options listed below. Talk with your School Director to learn what options are available for your family at this location.
When schedules change, or the grandparents cancel, or life just gets busy, FlexiPass gives you five prepaid days of care that you can use whenever* you need them, one at a time or all at once. No registration fees. No ongoing tuition. Just dependable care when you need it most.
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