Gymboree Play & Music was founded in 1987 as the first national chain of child development classes. At the time, older and mostly professional mothers found themselves looking for some support and advice on how to be as successful at parenthood as they had been at their careers. 30 years later, there are plenty of resources for new parents: from mothers’ groups and baby sign-language classes to a host of gym-based exercise programs for toddlers. When we met Gymboree, they were struggling to keep afloat in a category they had built.