Our Mission
The Champions Center is a community where children with special needs and their families are supported, empowered and encouraged to thrive.
We believe that children with special needs and different abilities are best served by a broader community of care. We coordinate with parents, guardians, teachers, therapists, and doctors to provide appropriate instruction and a safe and encouraging environment so these exceptional children have exceptional futures.
OUR VALUES
BELONGING - We are a place of belonging. Every child and family has value, regardless of gender, race, color, or religious affiliation.
TRUST - We patiently build trust between the children and families we serve and our staff, therapists and team members.
COLLABORATION - We believe that we are stronger together and commit to working with families, caregivers and other providers to help each child foster their inner champion.
HOPE - We believe in the possibilities, not the limitations. We believe each child we serve, and their family, can have a bright future.
“TCC has been more than just a school for us, they have become a part of our family… Houston is his best self when he’s in that building & he is always happy to be there."
– Melissa Barnes, Parent
The Champions Center was founded in 1974 by Kristina Radcliff, after she saw a desperate need in the community for resources related to children with disabilities. What began as a small day center serving a handful of children has become a therapeutic day center serving approximately 100 families per year. The Champions Center serves children ages 6 weeks to five years old with special needs, medically complex conditions, and developmental delays in Anderson, Pickens, and Oconee counties. Housed within the center are adaptive classrooms for educational learning, an onsite clinic for speech, occupational, and physical therapy, an accessible gym and playground, a library, and full-time nursing care.
Over 2,000 children have been served throughout the history of The Champions Center. Many children who enter have the odds stacked against them — often told by medical providers that they may never walk, communicate, or thrive. Yet time and time again, children break those barriers and become true champions. The Champions Center matters because it is a place where children and families are given hope.