High Hopes, Inc

Specialties

For over thirty-​one years, High Hopes Development Center has offered a unique approach to serving children with and without special needs and chronic diseases. A non-​profit organization based in Franklin, High Hopes is the only inclusive preschool in Williamson County with an on-​site pediatric therapy clinic equipped to serve children with a plethora of special needs. Parents of typically-​developing children and children with special needs know their child is receiving top quality educational enrichment, therapeutic care, and emotional support.

With a reputation for excellence, the Thompson Preschool nurtures and educates children ages six weeks to pre-​K5. Preschool enrollment consists of 60% typically-​developing students and 40% children with a special need. The preschool offers a low pupil-​to-​teacher ratio and a highly skilled team of educators, allowing High Hopes students to score in the top 15% in the nationally-​normed kindergarten readiness test.

Working in tandem, High Hopes’ on-​site Hoover Pediatric Therapy Clinic offers outpatient therapies to children birth through age 21. Children work one-​on-​one with therapists to improve vital life skills and reach goals that reduce the future need for reactive services. High Hopes therapists have an average of over 14 years of specialized pediatric experience.

History

Established in 1984.

High Hopes was established in 1984 by five Middle Tennessee families who had big dreams for their children. Each of these families had a child with some type of special need that was not able to be met in local preschools because of a lack of knowledge, capability, or training. Additionally, they found themselves driving to several locations, weekly, for their children to receive all of the beneficial therapies needed. Because of this, they were determined to create a worthy place for these children to go, where their needs could be met, academically and therapeutically, but also, their children would be educated amongst typically-​developing peers.

Meet the Manager

Gail P.

Manager

Executive Director Gail Powell joined High Hopes in 2007. With over 30 years of experience in education, Gail has raised classroom standards to an even higher level as all lead teachers are degreed and experienced, yearly assessments are given to chart individual progress, and enhanced curriculum has been implemented. The therapy clinic uses a state-​of-​the-​art system for scheduling clients alongside an efficient billing system which streamlines filing insurance claims.