Layla’s Legacy: All children deserve Daycare!

Right now, thousands of children in Australia are being excluded from childcare but with your help, we can change that. And we are closer than we have ever been.

My name is Monique, and I’m the founder of RippleAbility, a paediatric disability consultancy I established with a small group of passionate humans, as an evolving legacy to my daughter who was born with an extremely rare life-limiting disability. In 2021, after attending the funeral of one of our youngest participants, Layla, something clicked. Medically complex kids (aged 0-5), like Layla and my daughter, have no support outside the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). They cannot go to daycare like other children. And their parents are totally isolated from the communities they are part of.

Layla's short life became a catalyst for monumental change. Her legacy was etched into our souls the day we attended her funeral, surrounded by families wrestling with the same isolating challenges. No child should go through this. No parent should endure it alone. And since then, our entire team has been volunteering their time to fight for a better future for these families. Fighting for a new model of childcare, specifically designed to accommodate the complex needs of children who, no matter what, cannot fit into conventional daycare.

Here’s the facts:

Tens of thousands of medically complex children with profound disabilities DO NOT HAVE ACCESS to childcare and no mainstream service can cater to their needs. Children like Layla require 24/7 one-to-one care and attention, frequent routine lifesaving medical interventions, and tailored educational, developmental, and social opportunities.

Childcare, as we know it, was never designed for these children. Centres are not safe or appropriately equipped, adequately staffed with people who understand and are qualified to administer medical interventions, and no subsidy or funding model exists to make services like this affordable for parents and sustainable in the long term.

The NDIS cannot sustain the burden of caring and supporting these children indefinitely, nor is it fair or equitable to place sole responsibility for their wellbeing on their parents and carers alone. In our current system, these families are forced to pay 11 times the out-of-pocket expense for a fraction of the same care provided to over a million typically developing children, who are afforded the benefits of a supported and subsidised childcare environment.

We stand on the precipice of change, in a time of unprecedented political plasticity, armed with knowledge, passion, and an unwavering commitment to ensuring every child, regardless of their abilities, has the opportunity to thrive.

What can we do:

These children need a purpose-built facility and a new subsidy that bridges the gap between the cost of mainstream childcare supports and the resulting fee increases of the medical care they require.

They require specialised facilities, trained staff, and a unique funding model that doesn’t penalise them for the unique demands of their child’s medical needs. This isn't about creating a segregated space; it's about creating a safe space in an environment where they can thrive, on their terms.

Our ask is simple yet transformative:

We need your support, and our window is closing. Currently, the two federal portfolios that can make this facility a reality (Early Childhood Education and Care AND the NDIS) are in review.

We’ve exhausted the options available to us in our volunteer capacity. We are in desperate need of funds to co-design a model of excellence, with families of these vulnerable children, that fills this glaring gap. A model where every child, irrespective of their needs, can safely play, learn, and grow; where families aren’t penalized for circumstances beyond their control.

We have the chance, now more than ever, to craft a future where every child feels valued, included, and cherished. For them, for us, and for the generations to come, we must rise to the occasion.

Please, join us to make this change a reality. If we act now together, WE can pave the way for childcare for all children, regardless of ability! Because we believe that every child deserves to go to childcare. Every child deserves to have friends. And every parent deserves to feel supported.

For Layla, and for every family needing a lifeline. Let's do better.

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YOU can help pave a brand new path for these children

1) GIVE whatever you can. No donation is too small.

2) SHARE your story if you can add to the conversation.

3) SIGN our government petition.

4) SPREAD the word on social media (#SignShareSupport).

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With endless gratitude,

Monique and the RippleAbility Family

How will donations be used?

1st Target: $35,000 AUD

This would allow us to do the most important work of running formal focus groups with families of medically complex children to co-design the best possible creche model. This kind of co-design approach is going to be crucial in making sure the solution we’re offering truly serves their needs.

2nd Target: $120,000 AUD

This would enable us to conduct an economic feasibility study to determine how much this would save the Australian taxpayer. This would be a huge step in convincing the federal government of the financial viability of this model.

3rd Target: $360,000 AUD

This would allow us to conduct a full legislative review in order to draft up an amendment in the current childcare and family tax laws to accommodate a new subsidy for parents of children with profound disabilities and complex medical needs. This subsidy is essential for the creche as without it, the model would not be sustainable in the long run and even if we were to open the doors to such a facility, funding would eventually be exhausted, and they would slam shut again, leaving these families without any options once more.

Final Target: $1,620,570.00

I know this is extremely ambitious, but this amount of funding would enable us to establish the first real-world facility of this kind. This funding would be used to establish the pilot program which would be established to run a one-year intensive study of the real-world feasibility of the facility. This first facility would accommodate 15 children below the age of 5 currently living with profound disabilities and complex medical needs.

I’ll be posting regular updates on how funding is being used and how we are progressing toward each milestone. With your support, I’m really hopeful we can hit them all!