All About Seven Oaks Academy
Rooted in Legacy. Growing Through Montessori.
Serving children and families since 1988, Seven Oaks Academy continues a tradition of early learning through a nurturing, child-centered Montessori experience.
Our Story
Since 1988, Seven Oaks Academy has served children and families with a deep commitment to early learning, school readiness, and meaningful childhood experiences.
Our school has grown through several chapters over the years, but our purpose has remained steady: to create an environment where children are known, supported, challenged, and encouraged to grow with confidence.
For many years, Seven Oaks Academy served families through traditional early childhood education, including Georgia Pre-K, helping children build strong foundations for kindergarten and beyond.
As the needs of children and families evolved, so did our vision for learning.
We began exploring how children thrive when they are given greater independence, meaningful hands-on work, purposeful movement, and the freedom to learn at their own pace.
That journey led us to Montessori.
Today, Seven Oaks Academy is a Montessori-centered school community offering an intentional, child-centered approach to early learning while carrying forward the relationships, experience, and commitment to families that have defined our school since 1988.
“The child is both a hope and a promise for mankind.”
Dr. Maria Montessori
Our Montessori Approach
We believe children learn best when they are active participants in their own development.
Our classrooms are thoughtfully prepared to support independence, concentration, curiosity, creativity, and confidence. Children engage with hands-on materials, receive individualized guidance, and are encouraged to explore meaningful work at a developmentally appropriate pace.
Each part of the environment is designed to support the whole child academically, socially, emotionally, creatively, and practically.
Our Montessori philosophy comes to life through Montessori Mornings, the Seven Oaks Health Sciences Academy™, and Kitchen & Garden™.
Our Mission
Our mission is to provide meaningful Montessori learning experiences that cultivate independence, curiosity, confidence, creativity, and a strong foundation for lifelong learning.
Through prepared environments, individualized guidance, authentic relationships, and purposeful experiences, we support children as they grow academically, socially, emotionally, and practically.
Our Legacy Continues
More than three decades after Seven Oaks Academy first opened its doors, we continue to grow, learn, and evolve.
Our history gives us experience. Our Montessori philosophy gives us direction. And our relationships with children and families continue to give our work purpose.
Awards & Affiliations
Seven Oaks Academy has been recognized through:
Meet Our Founder & CEO
Erica Brantley Gwyn
Erica Brantley Gwyn brings more than 25 years of experience serving children, families, and communities through education, youth development, nonprofit leadership, health education, and program development.
Her career has included oversight of more than $20 million in grant-funded initiatives and extensive work supporting children, families, and community-based organizations.
That experience eventually led her into early childhood education and the leadership of Seven Oaks Academy.
Erica believes children thrive when they are given meaningful opportunities to become capable, curious, confident, and independent learners, and when families feel respected and connected to their child’s educational journey.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from the University of Georgia and a Master of Science in Health Administration from Central Michigan University. She is also completing her Montessori Director’s Certification through the Center for Montessori Guided Studies.
Erica remains actively engaged in the Gwinnett and Metro Atlanta community through business, civic, and service organizations.
Ready to Learn More About Seven Oaks Academy?
We’d love to learn more about your family and what you’re looking for in a program.
Complete our brief General Interest Form to tell us about your child and the programs that interest you.
After submitting the form, you’ll receive access to our Seven Oaks Academy Enrollment Information Packet and information about next steps.
