Sandhills Children’s Center provides inclusive learning for all

This is part of a series of stories about United Way of Richmond County’s agencies. Their annual Day of Caring event will kick off on Friday, September 17, 2021. Each Saturday, look for stories featuring each of their agencies leading up to the event and learn how to get involved at http://unitedwayrichmondnc.net/.

ROCKINGHAM — For over 50 years, the Sandhills Children’s Center has been educating children, with special needs and without, from birth to the age of 5.

Inclusion has been the basis of the Center’s philosophy for over 30 years. Around 30% of the students at the SCC have special needs, ranging from speech and cognitive delays, to cerebral palsy and autism. Sometimes, that ratio is closer to 50-50 between neurotypical and neurodivergent children.

“[Parents] feel comfortable having their child come here and know that they’re going to be accepted among peers,” said Program Director Jennifer Decker.

CEO Melanie Gayle said that the special needs children “benefit so much” from growing up alongside neurotypical kids, as opposed to being segregated.

All of the teachers in their classrooms have a four year degree and teaching license. Most assistants have two year degrees, while many have a Bachelor or a Masters degree.

As a licensed developmental day care center, they upheld higher student-teacher ratios in all of their classrooms. They have no more than a 6:1 between students and staff, which is a huge difference from regular state guidelines. Infants have a 4:1 to ratio. Most classes have three adults in them.

“They know that their kids, whether they have specials need or not, are getting direct service,” Decker said.

The SCC has a five-star childcare license, which is the highest that can be attained.

Some children move onto their neighborhood school upon graduation, while others may go to a special, more contained education classroom. Some may do both.

“We have kids every year who go to regular kindergarten because they’ve had this experience here while they’re young,” Gayle” said. “The biggest, most important years of brain development is birth to 5. The sooner we can get our hands on kids, the better off they are.”

They maintain a close relationship with the Exceptional Children’s Department at Richmond County Schools. Any child that is identified with special needs is enrolled with the SCC at the age of 3.

“The parents of children who have special needs, they want their child to be just as normal as possible,” Gayle said. “This gives them a greater opportunity to do that.”

Classes take place 12 months a year. Speech, physical and occupational therapists are present everyday for the close to 100 students at their facility.

The pandemic didn’t slow down their work. As an essential service, the SCC was always able to have kids in the classroom five days a week. Gayle said this was important because for the young students they care for, their attention span is limited.

Currently, they have plans to renovate their current facility in Rockingham, which has been open since 2008. Walkways will connect their three buildings together, and there will be extra space added for therapy and office rooms. The parking lot will also be redone.

The SCC has been a United Way partner since 1991. They use the money from those funds to provide critical speech, occupational and physical therapy for children who need them.

Gayle clarified that while many families have Medicaid, it doesn’t pay 100% of the costs. If that insurance is unavailable, the Center is still bound by an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) to provide those services. The United Way funds allows them address that deficit and avoid paying the entire cost.

Volunteers will be painting a classroom at their facility for United Way’s Day of Caring on Sept. 17.

“[Children] are getting next level care in the time of their life when they need it most,” Decker said.

You can find more information about the Sandhills Children’s Center at https://sandhillschildrenscenter.org or contact Jennifer Decker at 910-997-7160. United Way of Richmond County Executive Director Michelle Parrish can be contacted at michelleparrish@bellsouth.net or 910-997-2173.

United Way’s local service organizations

The other United Way agencies are as follows:

• Leak Street Alumni

• Pee Dee Pregnancy Resource Center

• New Horizons Life and Family Services

• Red Cross

• Back Pack Pals

• Richmond County Rescue Squad

• Samaritan Colony

• Salvation Army

• Richmond County 4-H

• Richmond County Schools Exceptional Children’s Department

• Boy Scouts of America

• Richmond County Aging Services

• Habitat for Humanity of the NC Sandhills

• Our Daily Bread