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Child Development Center of the Bluegrass director Erica Tipton. The CDCB, which provides child care and therapy programs for children with and without special needs, has historically organized the annual Kitchens of the Bluegrass Tour. This year, the organization has joined forces with Smiley Pete Publishing to present the event. Photo by Theresa Stanley.
Now under new leadership, the annual tour remains true to its original beneficiary, the Child Development Center of the Bluegrass
For the past 14 years, the Child Development Center of the Bluegrass (CDCB), a nonprofit organization that provides child care programs and therapy for children with and without special needs, has organized the annual Kitchens of the Bluegrass Tour, a self-guided tour of area homes with exceptional kitchens. The popular tour has historically been a major fundraising event for the organization, which relies heavily on philanthropic support from foundations, business, individuals and proceeds from special events.
But with its increasing success, the tour has also become an increasing organizational challenge for the nonprofit, said CDCB executive director Erica Tipton.
“The community interest in the event had grown beyond our capacity to support,” Tipton said. After initial fears that they would have to scale back the 2016 tour, Tipton and the 32-member board of CDCB directors have joined forces with Smiley Pete Publishing, this magazine’s parent company. Smiley Pete will take on the organizational duties of overseeing this year’s two-day event, while Child Development Center of the Bluegrass will remain a beneficiary.
Founded in 1958 as United Cerebral Palsy of the Bluegrass, the organization’s name changed to Child Development Center of the Bluegrass in 1983 when services expanded to include children with Down syndrome, autism, learning disabilities and visual and hearing impairments.
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Photo by Theresa Stanley
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Since its inception, Child Development Center of the Bluegrass has served more than 10,000 children and their families. Photo furnished.
Since its inception, Child Development Center of the Bluegrass has served more than 10,000 children and their families. In 2012, thanks to the construction of a new facility on Alumni Drive, near UK’s campus, the center was able to triple the number of children it serves, also adding child care for infants. Today, CDCB works with 166 children daily, Monday through Friday, in its full-day child care program for children from 6 weeks to 5 years old. While the center’s previous building had four classrooms, the new facility houses 15 classrooms: four for preschool children, five for toddlers and six for infants. The center also has a kitchen with a full-time chef on staff, a 2,000-square-foot therapy space,
two outdoor playgrounds and a children’s garden.
“Our building has multiple spaces dedicated to therapy, including two large therapy gyms and several smaller, private therapy rooms,” Tipton said. “Therapists are also able to provide assistance and assessment in the classroom itself, working directly with teachers and students.”
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Special-needs students also receive on-site therapy during the school day from CDCB’s skilled occupational, physical and speech therapists, Tipton added, and teachers provide adaptations and modifications to ensure that children with special needs participate fully in classroom programs and activities.
“We believe all children are unique individuals who need a supportive and challenging environment that fosters development at their own pace,” Tipton said, adding that the organization’s dedication to helping children realize their full potential makes it a place at which she truly loves to work. “I work at the greatest place on Earth.” cc
For more information on the 2016 Kitchens of the Bluegrass Tour visit www.kitchensofthebluegrasstour.com
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CDCB currently works with 166 children daily, Monday through Friday, in its full-day child care program for children from 6 weeks to 5 years old. Photo furnished.