As this is not my area of expertise, but many moms face going back to work and finding appropriate care for their little ones with Down Syndrome, I asked our community of friends on Instagram to share their experiences of having a child with Down Syndrome and utilizing a daycare center. Rachel, a beautiful mama to Isla and Sullivan, works full time and has had a fantastic experience with her current daycare center.
As far as choosing the daycare center they would use, Rachel says: Our typical 3-year-old son also attends this daycare so it was a no-brainer for us to continue with them. It’s a block away from my office so I know if I need to I can pop over and give them extra breast milk, or just hold her if she needs to have some extra comfort. We told them that Isla had Down Syndrome as soon as we knew and they didn’t seem phased by it. The staff was initially interviewed when our son started. We mostly just wanted to know about the daily routines and how they dealt with certain situations.
Isla is 5 months old and she initially didn’t want to take bottles from the staff, so they allowed me to come in and nurse her. They worked with her and now she takes bottles from them like a champ. Her Special Education and Occupational Therapist through the school district come in and evaluate her there at the center at times. There were a few exercises we needed them to do with her to strengthen her neck, and the center was more than willing to learn what to do and help her work on what she needed to. Isla does not have any special medical issues that have to be addressed, so that is a help as well.
Isla goes to daycare 3 days a week now (24 hours) Once our son starts preschool in the fall she’ll go 4 days (32 hours). Isla also hasn’t been sick more than our typically developing son did when he started. She has had a cold and pink eye once. Both times she healed incredibly fast.
The girls in the infant room treat Isla just like the other babies. They say she has taken to daycare better than our son did when he started! She loves the other babies and really enjoys the variety of toys they have there for her. She is currently in the infant room which is ages 6 weeks to 15 months and I am not sure if there are any other special needs children in the daycare with her.
We LOVE that they incorporate sign language into their daily routine. They have a ton of toys for her to play with. My son is just across the hall from her and if he asks to go see her they generally allow him to go over and give her a kiss or a hug and visit with her. The older kids get lots of outside time and they have a ‘big muscle’ room for the toddlers that are too young to go to the playground.
If I could change anything it would be that Staff turnover is high. I get it though, the girls don’t get paid very much and they really do truly love what they do but I know it can be a stressful job.
If I were to give advice to another new mom needing to place their child with Down Syndrome in daycare, I would say, Just make sure you’re comfortable with the people who’ll be in the room with your child. We love the girls in the infant room. They had my son 3 years ago so we’ve gotten to know them over the years. Ask a lot of questions: everyday I ask about her day and what she specifically did. I also make sure to communicate with them when I drop her off. I make sure to tell them if she had a bad night of sleep, a poor nursing session that morning; anything that might affect her normal demeanor I try to inform them of.
Rachel is the owner of CYBERsprout: a WordPress development and hosting company. She lives in West Central Minnesota with her Husband and business partner Tyler. Tyler and Rachel are parents to 3 year old Sullivan and 5 month old Isla who was diagnosed with DS at birth. The family also has 2 dogs, Shiner and Sheldon. When Rachel isn’t working or tending to the kiddos she’s renovating the family’s 1890s era home. You can find the family in pictures on Instagram @thegolbergers
This is a great read for mothers with children who have special needs. I honestly thought that caring for a child with special needs meant staying home from work till they are old enough for school but I think the idea of a daycare close to your place of work where the attendants accept your child is fantastic.
It sure sounds like it is working well for this family, doesn’t it?
I have a 16 year old daughter who recently got a job at a daycare. When she first went in she was told that she would be working in a room with a child with down syndrome. My daughter was terrified. She has no special training, and is new to working with children all together. She was afraid that with her inexperience she would do something wrong. She went to the director and cried her eyes out. She asked to be put in a different room, at least until she had more experience. The director flat out told her no. My question to you is, would it bother you that this young inexperienced person was scared, but brave enough to go to the director with her concerns. Or would you be upset that the director knowing this young person was scared would still make her work in that room?
Hi Tammy,
Personally, I see the entire scenario as a perfect learning experience. Working with children who have Down Syndrome is really not that different from working with typical children. I would imagine that the parent of the child with Down Syndrome would love to share any pertinent information with the staff that would have helped your daughter acclimate and what a rewarding experience your daughter would have to first hand observe and be part of learning about any differences. Unless the child had lengthy medical Issues (unlikely if the child was in a daycare setting) working with that child would be something that would enrich your daughter’s working experience.
I have a 2 yr old down syndrome toddler.. I found day care to be a nightmare.. It was fine when she was little, but as she has grown it has been difficult. Day care centers run on a schedule and if your little one deviates in any way it slows them down. My daughter just went 2 days a week for moms day out and could never adjust to only 2 days, she would fall asleep early, or be off their schedule in some manner and their we’re always some issue. Our kiddos are not typical, they may get tired easier as they are growing and may not be able to keep up all day with programs. I have tried multiple day cares and had the same issue. They keep telling me they can’t do 1:1 ratio.. even though I never asked them to. I only needed somebody to watch her and they complain that she’s not doing the same thing as everyone else.. I just pulled her out again, because of this issue, and my dtr doesn’t even have any major medical issues.. just a happy busy toddler but at times can’t keep the worlds schedule. Better to find a smaller day care who may be able to adjust with little issues..
I can totally see that, when this post was written I was so glad to hear that this mom had a good experience because I wondered if it might be more difficult for some, and as your experience shows, that is the case. It is unfortunate that whether in daycare or preschool, the world is often a bit too confining for our little ones.
I would love to hear overall opinions about whether DS children advance better in the social daycare setting, or at home with therapy and usual toddler games, etc. Provided by a family member. My typical son exceeds in school and will be entering Kindergarten next year. Our youngest, with DS, is currently at home with me receiving all the love and physical therapy he can handle:)
I imagine there are staunch believers on both sides of the coin. My son (DS) is at home with us and we are a homeschooling family. He gets tons of attention and therapeutic play from his siblings on daily basis. I feel like he is benefitted by not being in a daycare setting but there are moms who feel that is a better option for their families. Overall, I love that we all get to choose what is best for our situation and family makeup.