Our Safe Place to Land
Project Updates
This page is updated periodically as we share progress on Harbor Day School’s future home. Each entry below reflects where we are in the journey, from property acquisition and planning to design development and next steps toward construction. We invite you to follow along as this vision continues to take shape and to check back for the latest updates.
Update: February 2026
The Design
And here is what this dream looks like, with some of our current students:
Our architects started with our foundational belief that God created each of our kids on purpose and for a purpose and designed a building that will allow us to meet each of our kids right where they are and help them develop however God would allow.
With your help, we’ll construct this building and we’ll help change what it means to be a kid (as well as the parent, neighbor, or friend of a kid) with special needs in our part of the world.
Update: February 2025
Constructing Possibilities: A Building for All Abilities
What could a building designed for the development of more than 140 children with special needs look like?
Can you picture more than a hundred of God’s children playing in a new school designed just for them?
The building could include 12 classrooms, a large meeting room to accommodate monthly parent meetings where we provide information and resources, and an entire wing dedicated to programming for families on the waitlist. The facility could also include a therapy suite, sensory rooms, cool down spaces, and ample storage for everyone.
The entire building could be centered around an outdoor play area as we lean into the creation story to glorify the God who created the world and these beautiful children. What if we could build a space like this together?
Update: December 2024
Harbor Day School owns more than nine acres.
We closed on the property on November 7. A school that serves as a center for excellence for 40 children with special needs, without charging tuition or accepting government funds, now owns more than 9 acres of real estate where we intend to build a new school. As the design of the new school progresses, the potential to serve more than 140 children in our full time program and dozens more through short term programming for waitlist families is becoming increasingly real. A facility like this, combined with our dedicated, Christ centered teachers and therapists, will change the lives of countless children and families.This is an exciting season for Harbor Day School. We are grateful to witness how God is using this community to provide for children with special needs and their families.
Now is the time to consider what role you would like to play in this story.
Once the conceptual design is finalized, we will begin fundraising for building construction. This will be a significant undertaking and will require support from many. While financial gifts are essential, this project will also require labor, materials, professional services, shared storytelling, and faithful prayer. Without support in each of these areas, this project will not be possible.
If you would like to get involved, please contact Wesley Mockbee or any member of the Harbor Day School team.
Since the original post below, more than 50 families have been added to the waitlist. The need continues to grow.
We need more space, and we need the right space. Our children and their families deserve it.
God has blessed Harbor Day School with 40 children and their families, which represents our current capacity. At the same time, our waitlist continues to grow. As of today, more than 160 children and their families are waiting for a spot in our program. Families typically wait a minimum of 24 months for enrollment. We are adding an average of eight families per month, which means our waitlist could approach 200 families by the end of the school year.
Since opening in 2006, this ministry has operated in gifted spaces provided by four different churches. We are deeply grateful for each space that has welcomed us. However, these facilities were not designed specifically for children with special needs.
Just as important as the amount of space is the type of space. We believe God is calling Harbor Day School to invest in a facility designed and constructed specifically to meet the needs of these children. We have explored many existing buildings, but none fully meet those needs. For that reason, our plan is to build a state of the art facility tailored to the children we serve.
We recognize the size of this undertaking. A building designed to serve more than 100 children from birth through age six with special needs will require significant resources. To remain true to our mission, Harbor Day School will continue to accept no government funding, remain tuition free, and operate without debt.
Over the past two years, as the waitlist has doubled, we have focused on strengthening our operational support in preparation for growth. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we are well ahead of last year’s operational fundraising goals.
This building project will require the support of those who believe these children, their families, and our community deserve the very best and every opportunity to grow as God intends.
If you are interested in joining us in this effort, we would love to meet with you.
Meet Wesley Mockbee, Esq.
Capital Campaign Manager | wesley@harbordayschool.com
I joined Harbor Day School in June of 2023 because I know firsthand the impact that this ministry can have both on kids with special needs and their families. I know how important it is for parents to have a ministry like Harbor Day School that sees each child as perfect, just the way God made them, and that is eager to come alongside parents in whatever way is best for a particular child. I also know what it’s like to be at the end of the waitlist and to be told it will be a long time before a spot opens in the program, and the waitlist was much shorter when our daughter joined. Finally, I know what it’s like to have a child attend Harbor Day School. I’ve seen our daughter grow and develop over the last four years, and I’ve experienced the community Harbor Day School provides for the whole family.
I left the law practice to join Harbor Day School because I wanted to partner with Harbor Day School as we seek a bigger, better suited place to serve these children and so many more families for decades to come.
For the 13 years prior to joining Harbor Day School, I was a litigation attorney, spending the last 11 of those years primarily in construction law. I would love nothing more than to put that experience to use for Harbor Day School in a construction project.
If you are interested in hearing more about our dream for a new space or already know you want to partner with us, we would love to meet with you.