My son attends Whiteplains, and words can't express our thanks to the staff, teachers, volunteers, and everyone involved in helping him blossom everyday. Going to school is his favorite activity, and he comes home singing the names of his class teachers with a big smile.
The board, teachers, staff and every one has an integrated mission, and speaks a lot about the collective leadership. We wish that the school continues to get all the resources they need to serve their mission.
My little guy currently attends White Plains. He is developmentally delayed with a severe speech delay among other motor delays. As a former elementary teacher, I understand the strains his teachers face day in, day out. They have gone above and beyond their job requirement.
I simply adore this staff. Every single adult that works there knows my son's name, they love on him in place of me during the school day, they support him when needed but let him take chances to grow as well. Within weeks of school starting, my severely speech delayed little boy is talking up a storm like a parrot! To hear his sweet voice imitate what I say brings tears to my eyes. He truly has come out of his shell and his life is enriched by his teachers. To say I support White Plains is an understatement.
When we found White Plains, our daughter was in crisis in her current school. We were desperate to find a place that would not only accept her for who she was, but also encourage her strengths. The staff at White Plains has done that and more! We have delighted in watching her go from an angry and frustrated child to a happy and blossoming little girl. Thank you WPCC!
My son has attended White Plains Childrens' Center since he was a 1 year old. He is now four and a half. Having my son at White Plains has been a great experience for many reasons. The staff is caring and interact with all the students at the center, not just the ones in their classroom . My son has learned many skills to prepare him for kindergarten and beyond. There are children of differing abilities at the center and every child is given support to help them become more independent. I am in education and in the past have had the opportunity to visit many daycares and preschools in Wake County. White Plains is unique in its ability to care for and nuture all children.
White Plains Children's Center has provided my son with a nurturing environment where he can get personalized attention, and not get lost in the mix like at some preschools. We visited quite a few places before finding WPCC, and we were very happy to find an environment where our physically delayed son could enjoy a safe day of school, while getting the therapies he needs. We have been very happy with the center, and really like the inclusive setting so that all the children are made to feel special!
My son has been a student at White Plains Children's Center for 3 1/2 years. He was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2, and the staff, therapists, and teachers at White Plains have helped me find solutions to help him communicate, interact socially with his peers, and advance academically. He has good friends at the school who are typically developing children, and they model for him the kinds of communicative behaviors we want him to develop. He will start in a mainstreamed kindergarten classroom in the fall, something I never thought would be possible when he was first diagnosed. White Plains has been a godsend for our family. It's an affordable childcare option, and the curriculum is outstanding for both typically developing children and developmentally delayed children. We will send our daughter, a typically developing child, there when she is old enough to attend. As an educator myself, I cannot recommend this school highly enough.
Review from Guidestar
I have served on the Board of Directors for White Plains Children's Center for just over a year and am honored to be a part of this organization. I have witnessed dedication and caring beyond imagination from both board members and staff. This is my first experience with serving on a board, and it has been a great one!
I have served on the WPCC Board over the last 10 years. I have observed first hand the dedication of the staff to the children and families and their commitment to helping children reach their full potential. Our teachers are excellent and have education in child development and early childhood education.
My son has been attending White Plains since 2009 and loves going to school. The entire staff knows him as they do all of the students. He is enrolled as a "typically developing" child but he did have speech issues and was not talking at two years old. He has made great strides with his speech and to hear him today you would never know he had a problem. There are so many opportunities for children to learn, grow, socialize and play at White Plains. My child will be more than prepared for kindergarten as a result of the hard work and dedication of the staff. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity for my child to attend White Plains.
My son started attending WPCC last summer and it has really turned into more of a 2nd family for him then just a school. Everyone knows and cares about him and he knows and cares about all of the kids, teachers, and staff too! Every day he just loves going to school and seeing his friends and teachers. As a parent, I love knowing that he is so happy during the day while I have to work. It really makes working so much easier. I feel like WPCC is a great place for him to grow socially, emotionally, and educationally. My son takes pride in the art he brings home, sings us songs from his class, and loves to share his ideas about what they learned in school with us. We are so happy to have found such a great place for our son!
I LOVE the inclusion of typical and special needs children for my sons class, but his teachers are the Best part of White Plains!
He has Down Syndrome and is developing wonderfully with the attention he receives at White Plains. The teachers are genuine and greet him with a hug each morning! Last year he was sick and in the hospital for two weeks around Halloween. Two of his teachers took time out of their weekend to coming check on him and brought him a special basket with pictures his friends had drawn for him. It is a wonderful environment for typical children also, they learn how all children are unique! My family and I have worked on the playground and helped with the yard sale fundraiser. There are so many little things that would be wonderful to update at his school that would help my son and all of the children at White Plains with more donations and grants! My son also has vision issues and a simple line of paint showing transition points is invaluable for him! The new playground structure has allowed my son the freedom to use these without the assistance of a teacher and he is riding a tricycle! I'm so glad I've found such wonderful, caring teachers and would highly recommend White Plains Children Center!!
Having tried, terribly unsuccessfully, a traditional pre-school environment for our son, WPCC was recommended to us. The inclusive environment is so obviously right for, both, the typically developing children and our "special" guys. I honestly (hand -on-heart) could not be happier with the fantastic abilities of the teaching staff, nor with their endless interest and enthusiasm to learn more about how to continue to improve the potential of our son. The on-site therapists are a constant resource and sounding board.
My child has been a member at White Plains Children's Center for almost three years. My husband and I love the environment there and the staff is wonderful with our daughter. She is always greeted with open arms and her needs are met on a daily basis. When she first started attending the center, it was hard for me to leave her everyday. But her teachers were there to calm her fears and I felt safe with them comforting her. The friends she has made and the lessons learned will be a valuable part of her life.
My wife and I adopted our daughter from Guatemala in 2007. She turned five a few weeks ago. Early on we knew she had some developmental issues. We took her to various 5 star child care centers but no one could give her the care that she really needed. We needed a place that had an inclusive curriculum and could work with her through her various therapies. Additionally, we needed a place where she would feel safe and loved, so that she could hopefully overcome her obstacles much more easily.
Once we found White Plains Children’s Center, we knew right away that it would be wonderful for our daughter. The teachers and staff are the best around and they truly love what they do. From day one, our daughter LOVED the place. She has never been more excited to go to school that when she started White Plains. Our only regret is that we didn’t find it sooner. In the 8 months she has been there, we’ve noticed marked improvement.
Words cannot express how grateful we are to White Plains Children’s Center for the care, love and enrichment they provide to our daughter.
Over the past 17 years, I've had the opportunity to volunteer as a member of the Board of Directors for White Plains Children's Center. As both member and Chair, I have personally witnessed the dedication of teachers, staff, volunteers and community supporters of this school. The value this school (daycare and developmental day) brings to the community is like no other school in western Wake County offers. The program is called 'inclusive' education. This program brings together children with and without special needs into the same classrooms. By doing so, the mission, "To create a stimulating and nurturing environment where children with special and typical needs can grow and learn together in acceptance of one another" is accomplished. The part dear to my heart is "in acceptance of one another." The children developing typically learn, at the preschool age, that children in wheelchairs, on walkers, wear helmets or who speak or walk differently (or not at all) are no different than themselves. The children with special needs have role models and feel accepted...because they are!
As with most non-profits, financial resources seems to nearly always be the number one concern. We know there are many great non-profits with great causes in our community. We understand the competion for the donors' support. We work diligently to help our donors, volunteers and supportors understand our mission and to appreciate the importance of an inclusive program to families with special needs children.
The school will celebrate 30 years of operation in 2012. We have served a lot of children; with and without special needs in nearly 30 years. I truly believe that the 'test of time' speaks to the excellence and the value this program brings to the community!