Above: Siddhant Sawant with Scout Leader of Troop #73 and students from the United Preschool with the movable abacus.
Below Siddhant Sawant with Executive Director of Cerebral Palsy of Westchester Linda Kuck. Photo Credit Joan Colangelo. Photos by Marcy Weintraub
High school junior Siddhant Sawant installs specially designed items to improve the playground for
preschoolers living with developmental disabilities at CPW’s United Preschool Center in White Plains
On Friday, April 19, 2024, Cerebral Palsy of Westchester’s (CPW) United Preschool
Center (UPC) welcomed White Plains High School Junior Siddhant Sawant to campus to unveil his Eagle
Scout project at the UPC playground: a movable music wall, movable abacus, hanging blackboards, and
planter boxes.
Sawant is currently working to attain the Eagle Scout rank with his Boy Scout Troop, the highest rank a
young person can reach in Scouting (only 5% of all Scouts who join ever reach the Eagle rank). Looking to
design an Eagle Scout service project that would contribute to his hometown of White Plains, he
identified CPW’s United Preschool Center. According to Sawant, he “recognized Cerebral Palsy of
Westchester’s history of enabling young leaders to serve the community and consulted with volunteer
and internship placement manager Joan Colangelo and Preschool Director Marcy Weintraub to identify a
viable and advantageous sensory project for the children at the United Preschool in White Plains.” The
resulting playground structures that he designed, engineered, and built will attract children to play as
well as help them to acquire essential developmental skills.
After receiving approval from the Scoutmaster, Troop Committee, and District Council, as well as CPW’s
Executive Director for his project proposal, Sawant organized the necessary materials, explored different
options, acquired hardware and miscellaneous supplies, and planned the logistics. Sawant received
sponsorship from Campanella Fences in Mahopac, NY, with whom he worked in close partnership to
bring his project to completion.
United Preschool Director Marcy Weintraub commented, “Sid worked so hard to create age-appropriate
toys for our playground. We’re all so excited for the new addition and to give the children something new
to explore.”
The United Preschool Center (UPC), located at 456 North Street in White Plains, offers an integrated
learning experience for children with and without disabilities. Program administrators collaborate with
various school districts throughout Westchester County, and UPC is an authorized Universal Full-Day
Pre-Kindergarten program site for the White Plains School District. The United Preschool Center is a
division of Cerebral Palsy of Westchester.
Celebrating its 75th year in 2024, Cerebral Palsy of Westchester’s mission is to advance the
independence, productivity, and full citizenship of people living with all developmental disabilities
including autism, neurological impairments, intellectual disabilities, epilepsy, and cerebral palsy. CPW’s
main campus is located in Rye Brook, NY, housing a special education school, an adult day habilitation
program and recreation programs. CPW operates the United Preschool Center in White Plains, as well as
seven group homes throughout Westchester. Through a comprehensive network of educational
programs, day services, residential sites, therapeutic services, employment training, recreation
programs and advocacy the agency helps thousands of children and adults in Westchester and Fairfield
Counties live more productive and satisfying lives. The organization’s motto is: Realizing Tomorrow’s
Potential . . . Today! For more, visit cpwestchester.org.
