Catering to miracle babies
Published: May 21, 2007
Several times while playing with child-care specialist Ann Gould of Pittsford, 1-year-old Kennedy Kaminski’s eyebrows raise, her mouth forms an “O” and she’ll giggle at some unknown joke.
She crawls along the carpeted floor of the Daystar day care, 47 Lochnavar Parkway, and toys occasionally find their way to her mouth. Kennedy enjoys hugs from Gould and playing with the other children. Some of the children wear oxygen tubes, some have Down syndrome, like her. Others were born prematurely.
Daystar, a ministry of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Rochester, provides day care and foster care for children up to age 3 who have multiple disabilities and developmental delays.
Several of the children need physical, occupational and speech assistance, and take their sessions at Daystar with trained therapists.
It’s heartbreaking to see what children with special needs deal with so early in life, but their determination is amazing, said Sister Kathy Fletcher, a Daystar child-care specialist.
“They’re such a blessing, they’re miracle babies,” she said.
Daystar is the only licensed group child-care home for medically fragile infants in western New York. The nonprofit relies on donations. Parents are charged $35 a day, and the center offers a sliding fee scale for families unable to pay the full amount.
Technological improvements in medicine have increased the mortality rates of children with special needs, creating a greater need for programs that cater to their unique circumstances, said Daystar director Mary Erturk, a registered nurse and former neonatal nurse at Strong Memorial Hospital.
“This is a growing population,” she said.
Shaking a ring of colored plastic keys, Addison Croscut, 19 months, walks around the day care, but pauses mid-stride for kisses from staff. She was born four months premature, is visually impaired and undergoes therapy every day. Addison has progressed so well that she is ready for regular day care, say Daystar staff.
Addison’s mother Tabitha, of Waterloo said she is apprehensive, but agrees her daughter can make the transition.
“It’s a wonderful group of people (at Daystar)” she said. “Parenting a child with special needs places more demands on your time and can be overwhelming.”
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