If you have ever had to choose a daycare for your child, you know that it can be quite a difficult task. There are so many factors to consider; location, price, availability, cleanliness, etc. These are just some of the things that affect your decision. BUT – what if you are a parent of medically needy child who is looking for child care? Unfortunately, if your child requires specialized care, you have very few options. Many parents of these children have to take an extended leave of absence from their jobs to be able to provide the medical attention that their child requires. This can put their family in a difficult situation emotionally and financially. Your Child’s Place can help alleviate some of these stressors associated with caring for a child with medical needs.
Your Child’s Place located in Washington, PA is a specialized pediatric childcare center for infants and children who demand skilled nursing care while their parents or caregivers are at work or school. The children are cared for by Registered Nurses and Child Care professionals who are trained to manage serious ongoing illness or chronic conditions that require constant or periodic medical treatment or the use of medical devices. The center is the only one of its kind between the city of Pittsburgh and Morgantown, West Virginia.
When I visited the center, I was pleasantly surprised that it was set up just like any other daycare. Each of the three child care rooms were filled with bright colors and lots of toys but also featured:
- artificial lighting that doesn’t buzz or flicker
- heated floors
- overhead skylights
- hospital-grade air filtration and ventilation system
- built-in water purification system
- oxygen, suction and air hook-ups in childcare and napping areas
- emergency cart in the treatment room
Your Child’s Place is a safe environment for medically complex children that enables parents to continue working outside the home. The center is open for children from 6 weeks to 8 years old and services are billed through the child’s insurance or can be paid for out of pocket. They accept private insurance and medical assistance.
Although every parent may not be looking for full-time childcare for their medically needy child, the center now offers respite care. This can give a much-needed break to parents who are acting as a full-time care giver.
In the centers 11 years of operation, they have served hundreds of families whose children have spent time in the NICU, are recovering from surgery, or who are diagnosed with rare syndromes.
If you would like to schedule a tour or find out more information, visit yourchildsplace.org
