Making the choice of putting your child into a childcare program can be a daunting task for any parent, there are a multitude of questions to ask yourself before leaving your child in the care of strangers but if your child has special needs maybe from learning difficulties or a disability then this makes the task of choosing the right care provider even harder.

Child Care Guide For Special Needs Kids

Just because your child has special needs doesn’t mean that he/she won’t benefit from being in childcare, indeed many children with disabilities or learning difficulties have benefited greatly from being away from the home environment.

Not only can your child benefit but you can too, you will get a much needed break because looking after a child with special needs 24/7 can be a drain both mentally and physically on yourself and any relationship you may be in.

The hardest part is finding suitable day care for a child with special needs, the center will have to provide not only excellent normal childhood activities for your child but they will also have to meet the particular needs of a child with a disability.

Special Needs Child Care Requirements

Every child with special needs is different so there are no hard and fast rules when looking for a day care center but they should meet certain basic requirements, things you should consider are:

• The center should include children with and without learning difficulties giving the children a chance to intermingle with each other, this then helps children develop skills such as helping each other. It also helps inspire respect for other’s and helps your child to look past another child’s disability.
• Staff should be trained to provide your child with the specific requirements he/she needs for their particular problem. If your child has special needs due to an illness then staff should be fully aware and able to cope with any situation which may arise from the illness.
• Your child should be able to be independent as much as his/her disability will allow them to be, restriction should only be made for any activities which could harm them or are prohibited by your Doctor. In which case the center should be made fully aware of any restrictions.
• The center should allow for flexibility in activities for example alterations to toys and equipment for children who are visually impaired or in a wheelchair.
• The center should have equipment that will meet the needs of the children for example breathing aids for children suffering from asthma and chest problems. Staff should be fully trained in the use of any equipment.
• Staff should be able to recognise the onset of symptoms of any medical problem the child suffers from, for example a child suffering from chronic asthma, staff should be able to recognise the onset of an attack and know how to deal with it quickly.
• Staff should be able to administer any medication a child may need and know how to reach the child’s Doctor and parent in the case of an emergency.
• The center should be able to cater for children in wheelchairs and accesses to any areas such as playgrounds and equipment should have wheelchair access.

Before deciding which day care center your child should attend it is well worth making an appointment to go and look around the center and ask some of the above questions and see for yourself the range and quality of the care which is available at the center.

Any respectable day care provider will be more than happy to discuss your child’s requirements and suggest any changes or extra training staff might have to undertake if you decide to put your child under their care.

Usually if staff needs special training to be able to deal with your child’s problems then if the center is willing to offer this training to a staff member any costs that will occur as a result will be down to you to cover.