Our Story

Who we are at

The Little Gym of Fort Myers

Welcome to The Little Gym of Fort Myers, where our mantra is “The springboard to life’s adventures”. We are so excited to provide amazing developmental programs that your children will love! Our gym is owned and operated by a mother daughter team. We hope you will feel part of our family.

Stephanie Celaya—

I was born in Kalamazoo Michigan, but left the cold at the age of 3 when my family relocated to beautiful Fort Myers, Florida. I had a wonderful experience growing up in Fort Myers where I attended Heights Elementary School, Cypress Lake Middle School, and Cypress Lake High School Center for the Arts. My mother enrolled me in dance classes as soon as I learned to walk and I continued dancing all the way through high school. After high school I went on to Florida Gulf Coast University to earn my Bachelors degree in Occupational Therapy. After graduating, I worked as an Occupational Therapist with children for ten years before getting married and starting a family. For the past 10 years, I was fortunate enough to be able to focus all of my time and energy on raising our four boys. I am grateful to have spent most of my time volunteering in their schools and watching them play various sports including soccer, baseball, and ice hockey. Owning and operating The Little Gym is a dream come true as my passion has always been working with children to instill a sense of confidence through the use of exercise enrichment. I look forward to getting to know each of you in class!

Debbie Baum –

I was born and raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In 1983, I moved to Fort Myers, Florida. While raising three children, I attended Southwest Florida College and earned my certificate in Early Childhood Development. Subsequently, I opened a local and successful Preschool program and was honored to be the director of that Preschool for 8 years. During this time, I was also the director of a very successful summer camp called Camp Genesis, where over 160 kids were in attendance. After taking some valuable time off to enjoy my seven grandchildren, I have a rekindled desire to return to enriching young children’s lives through activities and motor skill development. Therefore, I am thrilled to have this opportunity to co-own and operate The Little Gym of Fort Myers with my daughter, Stephanie.

We both look forward to creating a wonderful and vibrant environment for young kids to develop and achieve. We are so excited to have you join The Little Gym family. Our knowledge of child development and passion for children will make you feel right at home!

Philosophy

Our Philosophy of Three Dimensional Learning

The Little Gym of Fort Myers, our environment is fun, but our purpose is serious. That’s why we embrace a proprietary philosophy called Three-Dimensional Learning, in which physical activity is a conduit for nurturing your whole child. The Three-Dimensional Learning approach to skill development means that every class we offer fosters growth in three holistic dimensions—Brain Boost!, Get Moving! and Citizen Kid!. Read on to see how each dimension of learning helps your child grow into a well-rounded, well-adjusted super kid.

Get Moving

Developing strength, balance, flexibility, agility and coordination

Brain Boost

Nurturing listening skills, imagination, concentration and decision-making

Citizen Kid

Promoting sharing, teamwork, cooperation and leadership

History

45 Years of

Serious Fun

An innovative educator, musician and kinesiologist, Robin Wes envisioned a nurturing place where children could explore their physical development, while also growing socially, emotionally and intellectually. He opened the first The Little Gym in 1976 in Bellevue, Washington and infused those early classes with the same positive, non-competitive spirit that characterizes us today. Forty-five years later, children at The Little Gym of Fort Myers experience the benefits of Serious Fun.

Partners

We're proud of

Our Partnerships

We’ve teamed up with some of the most respected names in children’s toys and entertainment to enrich the experience of classes, parties, camps and more at The Little Gym.

Giving Back

The Little Gym Big Hearts is a philanthropic and sustainability initiative dedicated to positively impacting our communities to ensure all children, today and in the future, have a safe and healthy place to live and grow.

Learn more!