The Arc Gateway

09/03/2026

Would ya look at that?!! New Floors!!!

Our South Santa Rosa clients and staff are loving the new LVP floors in their center! Our SSR program does lots of arts and crafts throughout the week, and they noted that now, if anything gets spilled, cleanup is quick and easy instead of the mess soaking into the carpet they had before!

We're really happy that they look so nice!!

09/02/2026

September is FASD Awareness Month!

Our Pearl Nelson Center is excited to partner with The Florida Center for Early Childhood to host the FASD Diagnostic Clinic later this month!!

Also! We encourage wearing red on September 9th (FASD Awareness Day) to stand out and bring awareness to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders!

Follow The Florida Center for Early Childhood for more information being posted throughout the month of September!!

Did you know FASD affects approximately 1 in 20 people in the United States? Yet despite how common FASD is, many individuals are never diagnosed.

FASD can affect learning, behavior, communication, memory and daily functioning — but understanding can change the way we respond.

Awareness is the first step.

The more we talk about FASD, the more we can help children and adults receive the understanding, support, and opportunities they deserve.

In September wear RED SHOES to stand out, be noticed, and have some fun starting the FASD conversation.

The Florida Center for Early Childhood is home to the state’s first and only Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Clinic.
Learn more: TheFloridaCenter.org/what-we-do/fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorders-clinic/

08/31/2026

Keep asking your child about their day!! When they talk about their day, they’re practicing and developing their recall and articulation skills!

Follow and keep up with our Help Me Grow Escambia program for more easy, helpful reminders about your child’s development!

They also offer free developmental screenings for Escambia County residents and can happily connect you and your family with many amazing resources!!

Happy ! 💙

"What did you do today?"

By age 4, many children can tell you about at least one thing that happened during their day. It might be as simple as, "I played soccer," or "We had pizza for lunch!"

These little stories are more than just cute conversations. When your child talks about their day, they're practicing putting thoughts into words, remembering what happened, and beginning to tell events in order.

You can encourage this skill by asking simple questions about their day, sharing stories about your own day, or looking at pictures together and talking about what happened.

Keep the conversation going! Those everyday chats are helping your child build important communication skills. 💙

All children develop differently; however, if you have any developmental concerns, bring them up to your child's pediatrician or contact a Help Me Grow Escambia care coordinator at 850-378-0322 or through our website at www.helpmegrowescambia.org, who will be able to connect you to necessary resources.

08/28/2026

Shoutout to the Y for getting us active and making it fun!!

Our participants always have such a great time at the Bear Levin Studer Family YMCA, whether they’re getting up and moving, trying something new, or cheering each other on!!

The people at the Y are always so nice! Thank you to everyone there for making it a place that provides joy for our community!!

08/26/2026

Thank you to the N Davis Hwy (New Location!) 7 Brew Coffee guys for dropping off all these drinks for The Arc Gateway team!!

They were out and about today giving away free drinks to neighboring businesses, schools, and much more!! It's very cool anytime businesses show love to their community; thank you for sharing some with The Arc Gateway family!!! Go check them out at their new location!

08/25/2026

We're so grateful to be part of this!!

Thank you to Richard and all the wonderful faculty, staff, and students at UWF Lewis Bear Jr. College of Business for having us yesterday!! We can't wait to see what this semester brings!!!

It’s always exciting to see our community take a fresh look at The Arc Gateway, learn more about the work we do in our community, and bring their own ideas and perspectives to the table. Thank you again for welcoming us and giving The Arc Gateway the opportunity to be part of the learning experience!

08/24/2026

Read for some tips on how to build your child's skills and aid them in their development!!

Our Help Me Grow Escambia program is here to help families understand each stage of development and connect them with the resources they need when questions come up!!

If you ever have questions about how your child is growing, our Help Me Grow team offers free developmental screenings for children from birth to age 8!!

Happy !

At 30 months, your child is becoming a little problem-solver. You may notice them figuring out how things work, trying different ways to do something, or wanting to do more on their own.

You can help build those skills through everyday moments:

🧩 Give them simple challenges and let them try to figure things out before stepping in.
🧩 Let them make choices during play and daily routines, like choosing a book or deciding which toy to use.
📚 Read stories together and talk about what the characters could do when they face a problem.

Little moments of trying, thinking, and figuring things out are all part of learning and growing!

Every milestone is a chance to learn something new about your child's development. If you ever have questions about how your child is growing, Help Me Grow Escambia offers free developmental screenings for children from birth to age 8.

💙 All children develop differently; however, if you have any developmental concerns, bring them up to your child's pediatrician or contact a Help Me Grow Escambia care coordinator at 850-378-0322 or through our website at www.helpmegrowescambia.org, who will be able to connect you to necessary resources.

08/20/2026

We want to say a big thank you to Rebecca Todd and Monster Cone Pensacola for stopping by The Arc Gateway’s Armstrong Industries Enclave for a sweet Ice Cream Day treat!!

Our Armstrong clients work hard each week, producing ceiling tile samples and serving customers around the world!!

We’re proud we're able to facilitate opportunities like our Armstrong World Industries collaboration and support meaningful work, independence, and inclusion for the people we serve!!!

08/18/2026

We're looking for volunteers for our As If! 90s Dance!!!

We need awesome people to help make our second annual Decades Dance a fun, welcoming, and memorable night for our guests! We need help with:
-Guest Check-In
-Food & Refreshment Service
-Welcome & Hype Team
-Dance Floor Hype Team

Details:
What: As If! 90s Dance (The Arc Gateway's 2nd Annual Decades Dance)
When: Tuesday, September 15, 5:30-7:30 PM (Volunteer Arrival at 4:30 PM)
Where: The Sanctuary Event Venue | 716 N. 9th Avenue, Pensacola, FL 32504

Volunteer Arrival: 4:30 PM!!

Sign up to volunteer at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0-s-S2Ex3On2hyCG8adz_1XE1lGxPl4VKWdsmdsiIpqaQRg/viewform

08/17/2026

Crossover post!! Jamie, a longtime Group Home and Pollak Training Center client of ours, wanted to learn some new job skills.....and what do you know?!! We have a program for that!!!

Here's some pictures of Jamie touring our PALS program a few weeks ago! And today, he starts his first day!

If someone you know could benefit from our Program for Adult Learning and Support (PALS), applications are always open at arc-gateway.org/pals!!