do best. “The intervention is intensive,”
tells Gayle. “Our staff to child ratios in the
classrooms are excellent. We have speech,
occupational and physical therapists in the
building who work with the children. Every
child has individual goals to conquer, and our
team stays in constant communication with
the families. We are a team of people who are
doing amazing things for the children.”
With a heart for all children, especially
those children who have special needs, Gayle
graduated with both an undergrad and a
masters degree in education from UVA, in
Charlottesville. Gayle got her start as a teacher
for children who were hearing-impaired in
Louisiana. Several years later, she became a
Director for a grassroots, non-profit school for
hearing-impaired children in Savannah.
Desiring growth, Gayle applied for the
position at SCC and feels honored to have
been selected to serve as Director. In growing
along with SCC, Gayle’s title soon grew into
CEO along with her love for these children.
“I don’t know what I’m gonna do when I
retire because this is my life,” shares Gayle.
“When you spend most of your waking hours
working for a mission, it becomes a part of
you. Everything we do at SCC is a group effort.
When the children succeed, we succeed. We
would not be here without our community’s
support.”
From the very beginning, community
support has been the backbone of the
Children’s Center as local churches rallied
around the cause of helping children with
special needs. Outgrowing the church
nurseries and moving into the wonderful
facility on highway #22 in 1988, SCC
welcomed Gayle to the team in 1989; this June
she celebrates 32 years.
Up until 1991, the program was strictly for
children who had special needs. Inclusion
began with the first population of teachers
and nurses at SCC who had no hesitation
about their children being with children
in wheelchairs or with children who have
autism or whatever the nature of the
need. “They are all children,” emphasizes
Gayle, whose own children attended.
“Plus we have licensed teachers in the
classroom; our educational qualifications are
higher than standard child care.”
When SCC became an inclusive program
for children, both with and without special
needs, a lengthy waiting list developed. Many
times, children who have special needs come
around three months old as parents adjust
to the life changes. At SCC, the children are
grouped by ages rather than by functioning
levels. Most classrooms average three adults
in each room, and every classroom includes
typical child development through severe and
profound.”
Operating two campuses, with one in
Southern Pines and one in Rockingham, SCC
employs around 110 employees. Always full in
Southern Pines with 132 children enrolled, the
Rockingham facility has 90 children enrolled.
Remembering back to 1986, when SCC was
bussing children from Richmond County all
the way to Southern Pines, Gayle explains,
“Every day, a driver and a monitor would
drive to Rockingham, pick up the children
for school, and then drive them back home at
3pm. These were little bitty children going 40
minutes up the road.
There has always been an interest to
serve Richmond County in their own school
environment, but financially we weren’t able
to make it happen. When we bought the child
care center in Rockingham in 2008, we moved
the Richmond County children to their new
school and added more typical children in
Southern Pines.
Gifted with a natural tolerance and a
natural acceptance, children don’t look at
kids in wheelchairs as being different. If one
needs help feeding, then the older children
want to help. “Both of my daughters attended
SCC, and my oldest earned her degree in
social work because she was so impacted by
the compassion instilled in her,” tells Gayle.
“One of the most beautiful outcomes is to see
a child have a birthday party at a pizza place
or the gym and invite classmates. One of the
neatest things for a parent of a child who has
special needs is for that child to be invited and
be included in the world around them.”
Watching the children grow is the favorite
part of Gayle’s chosen path. “Seeing the
progress of the child is mind-blowing!” And
the most difficult aspect is being a change
agent. “The hardest part of my job is the
unexpected challenges that come without
warning. In turn, one of the best things about
the Children’s Center is change in that no two
days are the same. You never know what’s
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Melanie Gayle, CEO,
at the Sandhills Children's Center.
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p.32 The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc. No. 142