Blackstone Valley Children's Place
Whitin Community Center, 60 Main St, Whitinsville, MA 1588
About
Blackstone Valley Children's Place offers daily activities that include gym time, playground time, breakfast, free play, morning and midday circles, learning centers, snacks, lunch, rest time, and outside play. Children can also take part in open recreational swim, athletics programming, roller skating, homework help, projects, math, language, art, games, science, sports activities, and swim lessons.
• Ages: 2–12 years old
• Schedule: Preschool runs from 6:30am–6:00pm, and the school age program runs after school on school days and from 6:30am–6:00pm on non-school days
Blackstone Valley Children's Place is a program of the Whitin Community Center and has been in existence for over 40 years. It is the largest child care center in the Blackstone Valley offering four child care programs: Group Child Care, Preschool, Kindergarten Prep, and a large School Age program. The preschool program is described as flexible and can meet the needs of parents seeking a full day or half-day of child care. The curriculum focuses on advancing knowledge in literacy, mathematics, the sciences, and social studies, and on promoting social emotional growth and mastering physical skills. Individual child planning is offered along with whole group and small group experiences.
Professional, caring staff provide educational experiences that promote school readiness. The program is supported by three full-time teachers, with additional staff added to maintain a staff-to-child ratio of no less than 1:10, including in the Kindergarten Prep program. The staff are professionally trained to provide quality educational, early childhood, and school age experiences.
All programs are licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care. The school age program, one of the first in the state, was chosen as a model by the Commonwealth’s Office for Child Care Services in writing its licensing regulations. The school age program is offered both before and after school, and it provides supervision before and after school and full days during school vacation periods. Several afternoons a week, the Athletic Department offers sports activities and the Aquatics Department offers open recreational swims, with WCC membership and signed parental permission slips required. During summer, the Athletic Department offers roller skating and open recreational gym time, and the Aquatics Department offers swim lessons and open recreational swims. Children in the school age program enjoy roller skating on most Fridays, and the Summer School Age program encompasses a full day with themed projects, open centers, and outside play. Kindergarten Prep targets children who turn 5 after September 1 and are ready for a more structured classroom and more intensive instruction.
At Blackstone Valley Children’s Place, the stated belief is that a learning experience is found in every moment of a child’s life, and the program provides a nurturing atmosphere that encourages every child to discover their potential through exploratory play while building a foundation of educational skills. The Whitin Community Center, which runs the program, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization offering social, recreational, educational, and outreach programs that bring community members of all ages, fitness levels, and backgrounds together, and it is committed to enhancing the health and well-being of families and individuals and to building a strong community in the Blackstone Valley.
One parent, D.D.B, states that “The Whitin Community Center is preparing children for school by not only teaching the basic educational requirements, but by going beyond and seizing opportunities to teach the more subtle lessons of life.” Another parent, Tina, states, “The staff at WCC I deal with are wonderful, all of them. My kids feel safe and cared for when I’m not around and that’s a great feeling.”
Last updated January 25, 2026.
• Ages: 2–12 years old
• Schedule: Preschool runs from 6:30am–6:00pm, and the school age program runs after school on school days and from 6:30am–6:00pm on non-school days
Blackstone Valley Children's Place is a program of the Whitin Community Center and has been in existence for over 40 years. It is the largest child care center in the Blackstone Valley offering four child care programs: Group Child Care, Preschool, Kindergarten Prep, and a large School Age program. The preschool program is described as flexible and can meet the needs of parents seeking a full day or half-day of child care. The curriculum focuses on advancing knowledge in literacy, mathematics, the sciences, and social studies, and on promoting social emotional growth and mastering physical skills. Individual child planning is offered along with whole group and small group experiences.
Professional, caring staff provide educational experiences that promote school readiness. The program is supported by three full-time teachers, with additional staff added to maintain a staff-to-child ratio of no less than 1:10, including in the Kindergarten Prep program. The staff are professionally trained to provide quality educational, early childhood, and school age experiences.
All programs are licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care. The school age program, one of the first in the state, was chosen as a model by the Commonwealth’s Office for Child Care Services in writing its licensing regulations. The school age program is offered both before and after school, and it provides supervision before and after school and full days during school vacation periods. Several afternoons a week, the Athletic Department offers sports activities and the Aquatics Department offers open recreational swims, with WCC membership and signed parental permission slips required. During summer, the Athletic Department offers roller skating and open recreational gym time, and the Aquatics Department offers swim lessons and open recreational swims. Children in the school age program enjoy roller skating on most Fridays, and the Summer School Age program encompasses a full day with themed projects, open centers, and outside play. Kindergarten Prep targets children who turn 5 after September 1 and are ready for a more structured classroom and more intensive instruction.
At Blackstone Valley Children’s Place, the stated belief is that a learning experience is found in every moment of a child’s life, and the program provides a nurturing atmosphere that encourages every child to discover their potential through exploratory play while building a foundation of educational skills. The Whitin Community Center, which runs the program, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization offering social, recreational, educational, and outreach programs that bring community members of all ages, fitness levels, and backgrounds together, and it is committed to enhancing the health and well-being of families and individuals and to building a strong community in the Blackstone Valley.
One parent, D.D.B, states that “The Whitin Community Center is preparing children for school by not only teaching the basic educational requirements, but by going beyond and seizing opportunities to teach the more subtle lessons of life.” Another parent, Tina, states, “The staff at WCC I deal with are wonderful, all of them. My kids feel safe and cared for when I’m not around and that’s a great feeling.”
Last updated January 25, 2026.
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