
Our History
High Hopes Development Center was established in 1984 by five Middle Tennessee families who recognized their children's needs were not being met in local preschools. Each of these families had a child with a special need or chronic disease and they found themselves driving to several locations weekly to receive all of the necessary therapy services. These visionaries were determined to create a place where their children could thrive, both academically and therapeutically, alongside their typically-developing peers.
On July 18, 2014, High Hopes celebrated our 30th birthday in our first permanent home, a state-of-the-art facility at 301 High Hopes Court in Franklin. Now in our 38th year, the organization has grown to serve hundreds of families from 19 Middle Tennessee counties.
The Preschool at High Hopes Development Center nurtures and educates children ages six weeks to Pre-Kindergarten. The Preschool provides inclusive education to children with and without special needs in a research-based, developmentally-appropriate manner, while maintaining a ratio of 60% children who are typically-developing to 40% children who have developmental delays. Inclusion allows children with special needs to learn alongside typically-developing peers, instilling the values of diversity, acceptance, and individuality. Each of our eleven classrooms is staffed with a highly-experienced and/or degreed lead teacher and a teaching assistant that support the individual needs of each child. High Hopes' preschool is licensed by the State of Tennessee and was voted #1 "Best Daycare" in The Tennessean's "Pick of Williamson County."
The Kindergarten at High Hopes Development Center carries on the inclusive model in a research-based, developmentally appropriate manner in a state-approved setting. Our holistic educational approach uses a literacy-based curriculum, the same one used by WCS and many other school districts in the state so that the transition from Kindergarten to first grade is seamless.

The Therapy Clinic at High Hopes Development Center helps children and youth from birth to 21 years achieve success in all areas of their daily lives by offering physical, occupational, speech and feeding therapies. Children work one-on-one with therapists reaching goals and improving skills. Therapy sessions for Preschool students are often conducted in the classrooms, incorporating everyday situations and peer interactions into the sessions. All High Hopes therapists have advanced degrees and an average of over 14 years of specialized pediatric experience.
High Hopes is the marriage of an Inclusive Preschool and a Pediatric Therapy Clinic at one location that makes High Hopes Development Center truly unique and tremendously effective. High Hopes is the only organization to incorporate this unique model in Williamson County, and is one of few like it in the nation.
We are a collection of experienced, driven individuals, working together to offer High Hopes to the families and children of our community.
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High Hopes is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.