Child Care

All parents, at some time, will probably seek child care. For families with a child who needs more supervision or specialized assistance, child care may be difficult to find -- or feel comfortable with. However, even if you do not work outside the home and do not need regular child care, you may benefit greatly from having child care on a periodic or even an ongoing basis; this will give you time to take care of personal matters, enjoy some leisure activity, or be relieved of the constant need to care for a child with a disability or chronic illness (Ambler, 1996). Indeed, families who use child care on a regular basis report that it "not only gave us something to look forward to but also broke time down into pieces we felt we could handle" (Callahan, 1990, p. 175). Child care, particularly following a crisis, may be an essential factor in maintaining your family's health, stamina, and equilibrium. The mother of a child with a chronic illness writes:

"The week that our family stayed at the beach was the most wonderful gift... it gave us the opportunity to stand outside the situation and view it from a distance. It enabled us to review what had gone on before, to put things into perspective, think and plan. We were also physically restored, and were able to go on with much more strength...caring for our daughter." (Ambler, 1996, p. 2)

Basically, child care falls into several categories, ranging from the care provided by relatives, neighbors, or friends who help out, to babysitters, to the more specialized care provided through daycare facilities/providers, respite care services, and nurses/medical specialists. Each family will need to determine its own level of need at any given time. The type of child care you select will depend upon a number of factors, including the nature of your child's disability, the cost involved in the care, and the length of time for which the care will be provided. If your child requires more supervision or attention than normal but does not need specialized medical care per se, you might have a relative, family friend, or a responsible babysitter occasionally take care of your son or daughter with special needs.

Day care also can be important for the well-being of children with disabilities, because it presents an opportunity for them to socialize with other children. Parents often want their child with disabilities to have the same opportunities as other children and have been disappointed to find that many daycare or preschool settings were not available or accessible to youngsters with disabilities. This kind of discrimination is now illegal. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) calls for full access to daycare for children with disabilities. In some cases, the needs of a child will be such that a particular daycare provider or center may not be equipped to care adequately for that child. The law now provides for flexibility in these cases; often, parents will have to be resourceful to help a provider become equipped or knowledgeable about how to care for the needs of a child or to find other sources of help.

You can help daycare providers by being as honest and direct as possible about your child's needs. It may also be helpful to let providers know how much their care is needed by and supportive to your child. The partnership between parents and daycare providers is very important, but it is especially so when the child has a special need. Research has shown that preschool and child care centers have the most success in integrating children with disabilities when staff accept and value diversity in the children they serve (Peck, Odom, & Bricker, 1993).

Adapted from information published by the National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities