Mornings in a daycare are full of toys and laughter, but the nurses at The Playhouse Daycare are helping the children learn about resolutions just in time for the new year.
“With these guys, it’s something we do on a daily basis,” said Donnie Campbell, one of the nurses. “These kids understand a lot more than people realize and we teach them about respecting others and help them learn what it means to grow as a person.”
The Playhouse Daycare is the only medical daycare in Virginia, Campbell said. The children range in age from 2 to 5 years old and each have a special condition that requires care from someone with a medical background.
Campbell said the children might have breathing issues or physical disabilities that might require them to be fed through a gastrostomy tube, which is inserted into the abdomen and delivers nutrition right to the stomach.
“It’s good for them because they’ve been exposed to different disabilities so it’s not a shock to them,” he said. “They watch me feed someone through a G-tube and learn about these different disabilities.”
But these children don’t let their medical needs stop them from playtime in the new year, where they are most looking forward to playing with their new toys.
