Inclusive Care for All Children - By Aurea Garvin

My greatest challenge with early childhood care was in 2017 when my son was coming home from the hospital after almost 2 years of being in multiple hospitals; I could only find one child care center willing to take care of him. Out of all the centers in Champaign and Urbana, there was only one. My son had a home nurse that would attend child care with him and take care of all his medical needs, and still most facilities would not call me back. They would say they were not qualified to care for him, and one even told me that he was almost 3 and could go to preschool where they would be able to make accommodations.  

I just wanted my son to go to child care to be around other kids. By the grace of God, he is now 7, thriving in school and growing. We received other in-home services that helped and allowed him to grow. I do not want other families to face this same situation. Child care should be inclusive for all children with or without medical needs.  

What we need most now is affordable child care for our 2-year-old son. Most child care centers are too pricey for what we can afford or have extremely long wait lists. I just want my son to enjoy where he goes to child care, play, learn, and have fun. All children deserve a chance to grow, learn, and thrive regardless of how much their parents make.