Help Kind Kids ELC create an inclusive playground

Hello,

My name is Stacy Flanagan, and I am the Kind Kids Early Learning Center owner. We are in Dover, Delaware. Our center is slated to open on May 1st, 2022. We are a unique daycare center as we will be helping care for children on the autism spectrum. Children with ASD are often underserved when it comes to daycare centers. Childcare resources are hard to come by as many daycare staff are not trained to teach and work with children who have extra needs. Our mission is to help these children grow, prosper and prepare them for school.

We have partnered with physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and ABA. Our staff will receive additional education to teach and work with kids on the spectrum. This will help the children get services promptly and provide consistency and continuity of care. Also, in these trying times, many parents cannot take off work multiple times a week to take their kids to therapy, so this should help lessen that stress for these incredible parents.

We are the first of our kind here in Delaware. There are no other centers like us, nor is there any funding to help. I am here to ask if you would like to help support our center. Luckily, I have had great support thus far, but we still need some help. To have playground equipment to accommodate all children, we will need financial assistance. Also, we will have a sensory room where the kids take part in therapy and use it as a “safe place” when experiencing stress during their day. Any donation would be so very appreciated.

The back story to the daycare: I am a registered nurse and have a child with Autism. In 2017 when my son was 12 months old, I knew something was extraordinary about him. I took him to Child Development Watch where he was prescribed physical and speech therapy. Due to a shortage of therapists and growing caseloads, my son ended up with speech for only 30 minutes a day once a week. I just knew this wasn’t fair to my son and that he needed more therapy if he was going to make progress. I then turned to Nemours in Wilmington, Delaware. I took my son to therapy at the hospital three days a week. I ended up quitting my job as I couldn’t balance my son's needs and a full-time job as a nurse. Luckily, my son started a pre-school program at the age of 2 and a half, but this program was part-time (3 hours a day). I needed full-time care if I was going to work. My husband and I toured many daycares and explained our son's needs. Unfortunately, my son was asked to leave 4 different centers because his needs were too much. I am opening a center for children like my son.

Thank you for reading!