March 2022 Newsletter

Happy March! I wanted to take a few moments to reflect on what a great year we had in 2021. Although COVID-19 continued to pose some interesting challenges to our staff and service model, we were thrilled to continue providing as many services as possible to our community. Our staff is currently 100% vaccinated, and we know many of our families and clients are vaccinated as well.

This gave us the opportunity to return to community sessions throughout the year, which was a special treat during our summer camp program, during which we enjoyed outings to the Children’s Museum, movie theater, and many of the parks in town. We also saw the return of some of our favorite events, including our Trunk-or-Treat in October, and holiday parties for both the kids and our staff in December. Last year also brought some exciting new additions and improvements to our facility, including new flooring throughout the building, sensory floors in our hallways, and some new murals in therapy rooms. You may have also heard that we adopted a bunny named Pickles, who has settled in nicely.

I am excited about how we have started the new year with all of our incredible staff and families. We will be celebrating our 15th anniversary next month, in April, which is absolutely incredible! This year we look forward to watching our kids grow in so many areas, from communication to social to daily living skills, and I know our team is looking forward to continuing to help our kids achieve even more new skills! We have such an amazing community here at PlayDate, and we are thankful to each of you who continues to be part of that community!

Christina Nulk
MS, ECSE, BCBA

---

---

---

Sick Child Policy

The majority of parents are quite careful about children’s health matters, following policies that are more likely to ensure their health, and having therapy only when the child is well. This policy provides specific guidelines so that everyone, including therapists, can be sure of when to cancel/reschedule therapy and so you can be confident in your child’s limited exposure to other sick individuals.

In the event that your child is diagnosed with a communicable disease, please notify your Senior Therapist so that we may provide warnings to other families and report to the Department of Public Health as appropriate. Your child’s confidentiality will be safeguarded.

Our policies are based on our commitment to help families and employees stay well so that children can attend and derive the most benefit from therapy. It is equally important for us to protect the other children and our employees, whose good health is directly related to their ability to maintain their therapy
appointments.

Please read the information and keep these guidelines for your reference:

Children may only participate in services (in-home or Center) if they have NOT had a fever WITHIN THE 24 HOURS PREVIOUS TO THE APPOINTMENT.

This means that even if a fever breaks, services must be canceled until 24 hours have elapsed since the fever broke. This is standard medical policy and parents may verify this with their medical advisor. Since energy levels or fevers alone are not always accurate indicators of illness, our employee may advise you
that your child appears to be getting sick even in the absence of a fever. A child can be very contagious and quite sick before a fever appears. Because our employee is careful, they know they
are required by law to be aware of each child’s individual health “picture”, to watch children they suspect of illness, and then to advise parents of their judgment.

If, in the judgment of the therapist, a child is deemed ill, a parent must pick up the child within a reasonable amount of time. A therapist may also end a session early if the child appears too sick to actively participate. This is important, to safeguard the ill child and to safeguard other children and employees from being exposed to an illness unnecessarily. This also ensures that
service time is used when the child can receive the most benefit.

Cancel services for one (1) calendar day if your child:

• Is being treated with AUGMENTIN – as this drug creates explosive diarrhea symptoms
• Is being treated with antibiotics
• Has vomited and/or had diarrhea
• Has persistent cough or nasal drainage
• Has a greenish discharge – as this is an indication of an active infection in the child’s respiratory system

---

---

Physical Therapy

PlayDate is now offering physical therapy for your children! Physical therapy can help to improve strength, balance, coordination, endurance, posture, walking, and safety awareness. Physical therapy will be play-based and completed in a familiar environment with the support of their behavioral therapists. We will work closely with your family to develop a unique treatment plan to help achieve your child’s goals.

How can PT help my child?

PT can help improve core strength, which can provide your child with a stable posture for independently completing more activities of daily living
PT can help your child feel more comfortable and successful with mobility
PT can help your child with their balance and safety awareness so that they can easily access their environment and participate in activities of healthy lifestyle recreation
PT can help get your child the equipment they need to increase
Please contact us if you have questions or would like to schedule an initial evaluation!

---

---