Work & Family Benefits, Inc. Values Package ®
Monthly Bulletin
March 2005

Selecting Day Care for Children with Special Needs

If you are the parent of a child with special needs, you may feel that you have a unique challenge in choosing the “right” child care situation.

Let us try to help…

Whether or not your child has special needs, all parents must do the same things initially: visit childcare facilities – including an unexpected “pop-in”; see the children during activities; view all areas of the facility for safety, hygiene and overall appeal; note how caregivers interact with children; and make your own assessment of the overall quality of care the children are receiving.

Once you have a potential provider in mind, you, as the parent of a child with special needs, do have some specific steps to take:

•  Schedule a meeting with the director. At the meeting, express openly any concerns or problems you foresee for your child.

•  Bear in mind that since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1992, all childcare providers are responsible for making reasonable adaptations to their programs and facilities in order to accommodate children with special needs.

•  Allow the director to offer remedies for your concerns. It may be advisable to let the director speak to your child's doctor if it will help make the care situation better or safer.

If your child is rejected from a center that seems suitable to you, contact the Department of Justice through their website: www.usdoj.gov . Complaints and suspected violations of the ADA are investigated. You can also access information about the ADA by calling 1-800-514-0301 , or by going online to www.ada.gov .

Remember that for all children, the best care situation is one in which parents and providers work together and communicate openly and often. Mixing special needs populations with non-special needs populations brings benefits to all involved. Cooperation and understanding go a long way in this formula!

Finally, call us at Work & Family Benefits! We're here to help you with all your childcare needs. We can research and refer you to child care in your area, and help you with other questions you may have about special needs issues. You can reach WFB at 1-800-328-4071 or www.wfbenefits.com .