Special Needs Resource Directory

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Day Care and Respite

Types | Questions to Ask | Day Care and Respite Programs

Types of Day Care for Children with Special Needs

Finding reliable, quality child care can be a difficult and stressful task for any parent -- especially those who have children with special health care needs. Types of special-needs child care include:

Chronically Ill Day Care

Chronically Ill Day Care facilities provide for children with chronic medical and / or mental health conditions. Care for these children includes:

Medications and treatments
Developmental therapies
Tracheotomy and feeding tube care
Ventilator management
Enteral (by way of the intestine) feeds

Chronically Ill Day Care is mostly needed before and after school, on weekends, holidays and during the summer months. Therapies such as occupational, physical and speech therapies and / or counseling can often be provided. In addition, respiratory therapies, medication and feedings could also be administered.

They are usually separate for mental health versus medical health and various age groups. Occasionally, these facilities are also limited by the severity of the condition and / or level of care.

Acutely Ill Day Care

Acutely Ill Day Care facilities care for children with acute infectious illnesses who are otherwise well or chronically ill. There are usually some limitations to which infectious diseases each facility will care for.

They are mostly needed during weekday school hours since September through June is when infectious illnesses are most common.

Respite Care

Respite Care is usually periodic, overnight care to:

Give caregivers a break
Cover caregiver vacations
Help look after child when the caregivers are too ill to provide the care themselves

Respite Care is needed year-round to cover family illnesses, special events, vacations and stressful times when families need a break. Respite care should be able to provide the same services as Chronically Ill Day Cares.

It is not uncommon for a child to have multiple conditions that include all three of these categories.

Tips / Questions to Ask

4C for Children, Cincinnati's local resource for child care referrals, has parent counselors available to educate parents on a variety of topics including child development issues, finding quality care and financial assistance resources.
Care.com provides several helpful resources for family caregivers:

ChildCareAware™ provides a guide to choosing quality child care for a child with special needs.
Get Creative About Respite, developed by the Connecticut Lifespan Respite Coalition, has helpful suggestions on different types of respite, finding respite providers, questions to ask and many other tips.
National Child Care Information Center, developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides information and resources on child care and early childhoold education.
Respite Care, published by the National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities, is an older publication that discusses types of respite care and gives tips and advice.
Zero to Three", a national non-profit organization dedicated to helping promote the healthy development of our nation's infants and toddlers, offers various tips on child care. These child care tips include a special section on children with special needs, which outlines important questions to ask when interviewing / researching a particular facility.

Day Care and Respite Programs

To help locate a child care setting for your child with special health care needs, the Center for Infants and Children with Special Needs at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center recommends the following resources:

4C for Children, Cincinnati's local resource for child care referrals, provides information to families on how to choose quality child care, as well as offers free publications, links, resources and a child care eSearch feature. They provide free referrals to child care centers and family home providers and are able to search for providers that care for children with special needs.
249Smiles is a free site to search for child care providers in Cincinnati. Providers can indicate if they have a background in caring for children with special needs.
Autism Respite Program is available to families of children up to 22 years of age who are eligible for services through the Hamilton County Board of MRDD. A child must have a diagnosis of autism to qualify for the service and cannot be receiving supported living, Individual Options Waiver, or Level One Waiver services.
The Arc Hamilton County has several programs to help with cover costs for respite services:

Family Resource Services Program can help families pay for respite services. A sliding fee scale is used to determine the percentage a family will pay for services. The program provides funds for families who are eligible to receive MRDD services.
Parents' Night Out can provide funds to hire a sitter for a child with a disability.

Camp Courageous, located in Whitehouse, Ohio, offers residential, day and respite weekend camps throughout the summer and fall.
Camp KYSOC, with several locations in Kentucky, is operated by Easter Seals. They provide both day camp and residential summer camp programs, as well as respite weekends and retreat opportunities throughout the year.
Care.com provides an online directory of respite providers for special needs, organized by zip code. However, Cincinnati Children's cannot endorse or recommend any specific providers.
Children's Home of Cincinnati offers a Child Care Program for day care and kindergarten readiness for children ages 3 months through 5 years of age. Children with special needs are accepted, but they must be able to function in their day care and preschool program settings.
Evening Stars is a program of Fellowship Baptist Church in Mainville, Ohio, that provides respite services once a month for families that have a child with a disability and their siblings. Families do not have to be church members to participate.
Head Start of Hamilton County early childhood development program offers children, ages 3 to 5, and their families access to educational opportunities as well as services to meet their health, nutritional and social needs. Head Start's comprehensive program is funded through grants from the federal and state government and is targeted primarily to children from families with limited resources.
Hole in the Wall Camps have worldwide locations that provide year round programming opportunities for children with serious medical conditions.
Max's House, a day care center for medically fragile children in the Cincinnati area, is a division of Maxim Healthcare Services. They provide skilled nursing services, adaptive education and respite for families who have children with complex health care needs. Infants and children ages 6 weeks through teenagers are eligible. Call 513-782-0100 for more information.
MRDD has respite services available for eligible families. Contact your Service Facilitator to begin the process.
Ohio Department of Job and Family Services provides a daycare facility locator.
Parent Group Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati works to address the common needs and concerns of individuals, families and children living with developmental disabilities. Member organizations include the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics and the Aaron W. Perlman Center at Cincinnati Children's, Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati, Spina Bifida Association of Cincinnati, Point / Arc of Northern Kentucky, Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome-OKI Support Group, Families with ASD, Autism Society of Greater Cincinnati and the Jack Rubinstein Foundation Board.

The Collaborative sponsors annual respite speed interviewing events and advocates for adult health care improvements for individuals with special needs. Contact the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics Outreach Department at Cincinnati Children's for additional information.

Recreation Unlimited, located in Ashley, Ohio, provides year-round respite weekend camps for youth and adults ages 8 and older.
Redwood, located in Northern Kentucky, offers quality programs that serve children with and without special needs, including:

Early intervention
Preschool education
School age child care
Summer Youth Program
Early childhood child care

Saint Joseph Home of Cincinnati offers a respite program with 24-hour personal and medical services for medically fragile and developmentally disabled infants and young adults.
Stepping Stones Center provides evening respite opportunities throughout the year.

Camp Allyn offers weekend respite for children, teens, and adults with disabilities. Programming, offered twice a month, provides opportunities to spend time with friends, play games, participate in arts and crafts projects and outdoor exploration under the supervision qualified staff.