Hi Mommies!
So, my son was just diagnosed with Aspergers, ADHD, and Anxiety. His psychologist recommended we put him in a special needs daycare for the summer instead of a regular daycare because it would just be better for him and his self esteem. He usually spends the summer in regular daycare and we get constant behavioral reports-(well, now we know why). We are looking at the medication route as well, so hopefully we can get a handle on his angry violent outbursts-he was just diagnosed so we are now looking for a psychiatrist for the med route. In the meantime, I thought I would start my daycare research. So far MISD does not provide special needs daycare and they have no idea where I could start looking (which I find very strange). The only daycares I have found so far are in home daycares who want $10-$20/hour! After I pay for daycare for my other child, gas, travel, etc., I would be coming out on a big loss for me to go to work everyday-which obviously home daycare is definately out.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!!
I second getting him assessed by the state, he M. qualify for services and if he does then they are free.
His psychologist seems to be making a lot of recommendations without giving you any guidance on where to go to get what is recommended. I would start with your area CMH or DHS, another thought is if there is a college near you sometimes there are students going for school for Special Education that could earn some kind of credit for childcare and their cost might be less and in your home. I was totally blessed with my daycare with my kids and as a result of my kids being there both the ladies daughters have gone into teaching Special Education.
You don't state how old your son is, but your local school district should have a program in place for during the school year AND they should also have the information on many of the local resources available to children like your son over the summer break. I know in my son's school district(he has autism)they have these programs and throughout the entire school year I have information sent home about local community programs and resources available to the special needs community.
I have a friend that is opening one here. St Louis is by no means a small city and that will be the first one in this area. You probably can't find one because they don't exist where you are at. I am lucky, I have older kids who watched Andy when he was younger. I can't even imagine what I would have had to go through if I had to find actual day care.
Oh, my friend is opening one because she cannot work anymore because she has nowhere to put her son in the summer. He is 13, most of these day cares watch kids up to 18 years old. I guess I am also lucky that Andy is over most of the issues that would make him need one too. Oh, Andy is almost 13. I would say it has been about two years since we have had any issues with his temper.
Im not sure about the reputation of the people listed on this site, but Care.com has a list of people with different rates for "special needs" child care. I think based on experiences that I have had, it takes a special person to care for our children. Yuo don't want anyone with short fuses or dealing with too many kids, to be able to keep up with your son and help him have a happy summer. you are a great mom for even taking this extra step!!! Good luck!!!
Here's the link to the search I did for you.
http://www.care.com/special-needs-roseville-mi-p1049-q###...
I have never heard of a special needs day care. soem day cares may be better able to handle his needs than others.
make soem calls. ask questions... maybe a small home daycare would be better?? maybe someone to come to your house.. in home childcare is about $10 an hour for 2 or 3 kids.
See if he qualifies for state services, if so, there are "daycares" that are no cost, depending on how many hours he qualifies for. Good luck.
Every child care business has the option of getting at least one or all of their teachers certified as a special needs care giver. This gives the facility much more...omph...for lack of a better word. They can advertise they have this specialized training and they can get more money per day for a child that is diagnosed with a disability.
I would check with the state child care licensing agency in your area. Ours is through DHS and they have a list of each and every place that is certified. We had one teacher that was pursuing the certification and she was very excited about being able to do this job. They usually have several kids in their care with the general size of the class being smaller. Kids with sensory issues cannot tolerate the larger noisy classes.
I would start there. If you are paying cash for child care I would still try and find out if there is any assistance out there for your child.
In Oklahoma the waiting list for services for kids with disabilities is not based on income but on need so I would see about getting him on the list in your state for assistance so that he will eventually get to the top and have the help he needs.
