Daycare for children with medical needs?

[Anonymous]

Friends are adopting a child with a medical need. They had care lined up but it just fell through. They are out of the country for the adoption and so I am trying to help out by looking into resources for them. Their DD will need to be catheterized (urinary) by her caregiver and they are looking for leads on care providers or childcare centers that can provide this type of medical care. I know about care.com. Are there any other resources? Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

If they are in MD, Karasik in Silver Spring might be an option. Or Easter Seals in DC or MD. I'm sure there are VA options but I don't know where they area.

I also know families who use nannies or nanny shares for kids with medical issues. Some nannies are willing to be trained in medical procedures.

Another option would be to find a nursing agency willing to have someone drop by periodically for the procedure.

[Anonymous]

Karasik is an excellent suggestion. If the only issue is catheterization, I would think that most daycares could take the child with supplemental home healthcare. The home health might be covered under their health insurance. Which brings up another issue. In case they don't know, they have only 30 days from the adoption to add their child to their health insurance, so that must be another priority for them.

[Anonymous]

Day care owner, here.

All day cares should be able to accomodate a catheter. We are required by law (at least in DC) to provide reasonable accommodations for special needs. Some thing that fall under "reasonable" is much more involved than using a catheter, in my experience. I would not rule out any day care based on use of a catheter, and feel very entitled under the law to expect day cares to accomodate this need.

We would certainly be happy to learn how to take care of a baby with a catheter, but we are totally full.

GL!

[Anonymous]

You might want to post the area they are looking in. If they live in Alexandria, they are not going to get childcare in Silver Spring.

[Anonymous]

Thank you all for your helpful replies. They live in Hyattsville which is not far from NE DC, Takoma Park, or parts of Silver Spring. Their daughter will need to be catheterized every 3 hours and they really want someone with experience doing it because it has already been traumatic for her to have her mom have to learn how to do it. I will look into the resources and ideas listed for sure. Thank you again for taking the time to help out!

[Anonymous]

How old is their daughter? Does she have any other special needs? How long will they have for parental leave?

[Anonymous]

Kennedy Institute is another option. It's an inclusive daycare/preschool in NE, and almost definitely has nursing care on site. I have no idea what their waiting list might be like.

If she has a specific condition (e.g. spina bifida) then it might be helpful to put out word on related list serves and message boards. Perhaps there's another mom who is home with a child with a similar diagnosis and would be interested in providing care in her own home. I know of families who have found care for diabetic children in this way.

[Anonymous]

Agree with the pp about the listservs. The only one I know (and I refer to it often here) is Mcneeds. You can register at mcneeds.org. Lots of parents with many different types of special needs, including many with medical issues. It's very nice of you to help out your friends.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks again. Yes, the condition is spina bifida. She is preschool aged and the neurogenic bladder is her only medical condition.She has bowel control and can run, walk, etc. Because she is adopted internationally English will be her second language and so while she is adjusting that adds into the special needs mix. They have used all of their parental leave already because there were unexpected visa issues with Homeland Security while they were abroad that delayed the process. All is go now though! The Mcneeds site, Kennedy Institute, and idea about pairing with another similar diagnosis family are all great. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

I agree with Karsik and Easter Seals both in Silver Spring.