Caroline Pounds rushed to pick up her four-year-old son Whitman (Whit) from The Anderson School at Professional Center for Child Development after being called about ‘seizure like’ activity. She walked in and found her precious son being held, monitored, and comforted by the classroom nurse.
“I started to cry.” Caroline said, “In hindsight, the tears were not so much prompted by Whit’s seizure activity, as I knew he would be okay. Rather, the tears were those of gratitude that he is surrounded by people who care for him, who know him well enough to know when he is not himself, and who will watch over him with tenderness and compassion when we are not right there to do so ourselves.” Whit was able to return to be with his classmates within a few days.
The Pounds family moved from Maryland when Whit was just 24 months old, and many aspects of his development and medical condition were still unknown. They understood the importance of Early Intervention (EI)… “ When deciding where to look for housing in Massachusetts—where would we need to live to get the best EI services? In looking at websites and information about the many providers north of Boston, it became clear that PCCD would be a wonderful EI provider, and so we moved to North Andover!” Mrs. Pounds proclaimed.
The services at PCCD Early Intervention and Regional Consultation Program were successful for Whit and his family. The Pounds’, like many families, were grateful for support connecting to the community and navigating resources in those early years. After moving to another town, whit’s mother again reached out to PCCD. “ I learned that our town’s public-school program would be unable to accommodate Whit’s level of need. When Anderson School at PCCD was offered as an option for an out-of-district preschool placement, the choice was a no-brainer!”
Anderson School at PCCD continues to work with families and school districts to provide an exceptional educational program that maximizes each student’s independence and unique learning needs. Whit’s mom went on to say, “his smiles and the smiles of his classmates say it all: I know he is loving his time at school.”
For the past 50 years, the Anderson School at PCCD has worked with families and school districts to provide an exceptional educational program that maximizes each student’s independence and unique learning needs. Our multidisciplinary team of professionals provides fully collaborative special education, therapeutic, and health services to students, ages 3 to 12, with complex health needs.
Whit’s mom went on to say, “his smiles and the smiles of his classmates say it all: I know he is loving his time at school.”
