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A Warman daycare that caters to kids with complex medical needs is preparing to close its doors in June, and one parent says she’s heartbroken and worried about what will come next.
After nine years of operation, Hope’s Home is closing its Warman location, citing a decline in the number of children in requiring care in the community.
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“As an organization dedicated to medically inclusive care, we must ensure all of our locations have the resources needed to support children with complex medical needs. Unfortunately Warman’s changing needs no longer align with that mission,” Lisa Wyatt, CEO of Hope’s Home, said in a statement.
For parents like Janine Chevrier, Hope’s Home was more than just a daycare. It provided a sense of community for her seven-year-old son Eli, who has Down syndrome.
“It’s an extension of our family,” Chevrier said.
“It’s very open to Eli’s independence and success in his schooling and life going forward,” she added. “They, ultimately, care about him.”
Chevrier said her family has struggled to find appropriate care that provides the support Eli needs, but said Hope’s Home provided a smooth transition between daycare and school.
At Hope’s Home, Chevrier said Eli has a developmental worker to help him navigate through the day and use his communication device. She said one-on-one support for specific needs can be very difficult to find.
Chevrier said she and other families have been left “completely stranded” by the closure, and are scrambling to find summer care options without waiting lists that can provide the same level of individual support.
“I am considering even offering to pool some families together and just getting a nanny in my house,” she said. “I don’t know what else to do.”
Chevrier said there’s a need for more inclusive child-care spaces in the province to accommodate children like Eli.
“He’s a strong boy. He’s willing to learn. He just needs the time and the support to do that,” she said. “I think having that up front in the daycare settings is just helping support his overall success in life.”
Hope’s Home said work is being done with Warman’s school division to find a new operator in an effort to keep children and staff together after the closure.
“Hope’s Home will continue focusing on its services in communities with the greatest demand for medically complex childcare,” read a statement from Hope’s Home.
“The organization extends its sincere gratitude to the Warman community for its support over the past nine years.”
Chevrier said she was hoping Eli could continue to have the same level of support he’s had at Hope’s Home as he grows up and moves on to high school.
“With raising children, it takes a community, but you’re leaving us stranded when it comes (to) any diverse needs,” she said.
