The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

2- The Oakville Beaver, Friday July 18, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Boy's severe allergies a hurdle at daycare By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF When placing a child in daycare most parents will check high and low to be certain the facility is ideal for their young one, however, one woman was recently sent reeling after a local daycare informed her that her young one was not ideal for it. Julie Lundrigan of Mississauga has filed a complaint with the Ministry of Community and Social Services after her three-year-old son Ryan was denied entrance into an Oakville daycare centre. The reason behind the decision, Ryan's severe allergies. "He's allergic to eggs. He's allergic to all dairy. He's allergic to tree nuts. He has some environmental allergies to trees (and) grass. He's allergic to cosmetic fragrances, so no scented lotions or perfumes," said Lundrigan. "His life-threatening allergies are to the eggs and the nuts. For the rest of them, he may get watery eyes; he may get hives; he may get a little bit of a rash, but they're not going to kill him." All of this Lundrigan, who was rejoining the workforce, made clear to the daycare during an initial visit in late May to see if Ryan could attend. Lundrigan said her son was placed on a waiting list, as no spots were currently available. She was later called and told there was an opening July 7. "She said that because of all of his allergies, they couldn't guarantee that they could keep him safe." Julie Lundrigan, Ryan's mom MICHAEL IVANIN / OAKVILLE BEAVER DAYCARE WOES: Julie and Mike Lundrigan with their three-year-old son Ryan, who was turned away from a local daycare because he has severe allergies. Happy to have the process of finding a daycare for her son finally over with, she gave his nanny two weeks notice and began the process of integrating Ryan into the daycare environment. "I had spoken with them about transitioning Ryan, having him spend two weeks in the morning at their centre with his current caregiver so he could get to know the kids, get to know the teacher, get to know the routine," said Lundrigan. "This way, they would have the opportunity to speak with someone who has looked after Ryan for two years and get some helpful tips and w gold that sort of thing." The first day went well with Lundrigan receiving a phone call from Ryan's caregiver, who reported that Ryan did fine and that there was another child with similar allergies in the classroom, so Ryan's condition was nothing new for the teachers. However, the next call Lundrigan picked up was not nearly as positive. "The supervisor said she had spoken to the owner and they had some concerns about Ryan's allergies and wanted to set up a meeting," said Lundrigan. "I was a little confused at that point because this had already been going on for the better part of a month, and they had cashed my cheque, and only now did they take this to the owner. I was not happy." The unhappiness Lundrigan felt then would only grow after the meeting when she was told Ryan would not be admitted into the daycare. "She said that because of all of his allergies, they couldn't guarantee that they could keep him safe," said Lundrigan. "Basically she said to me that a child like Ryan does not belong in daycare." While refusing to comment on this particular case, the daycare in question noted that its staff is trained and well-equipped to deal with life-threatening allergies, but also pointed out it has the right to decline care to a child believed could benefit from a more controlled environment than group childcare can offer. The daycare released the following statement about its policies. "We focus on what is in the best interest of each child. There are many variables that come with group care, including the interactions that occur between children, which may prove harmful to a child with multiple allergies or other unique needs that require close monitoring of food and environmental factors. There are times that we feel a child with multiple allergies or other unique needs, would be more successful in a controlled setting, where one-on-one supervision can be provided and all interactions can be closely monitored. In the exceptional cases, where we feel strongly that group care is not in the best interest of a child, we will recommend alternative care to the family and respectively decline care." This was not the only daycare that expressed such an opinion. Before applying at the Oakville daycare centre involved, Lundrigan visited 14 other daycare facilities that day and many told her up front they could not handle a child with allergies as severe as Ryan's. Exclusion of children with severe allergies is something daycares are permitted to do under the law. While the province's Ministry of Children and Youth Services has legislation that requires all operators of licensed childcare programs to have a policy in place to meet the needs of a child with a severe allergy, there is no policy in place that says a childcare operator has to actually accept a child with severe allergies or any other child for that matter. For Lundrigan the decision by the daycare was a bitter disappointment. "Do they think that he's been boxed up or put in a bubble for the last three years. He's been in a daycare," she said. "This poor little boy, he's only three and this is what he's going to face and he's not alone in this. There are thousands of children who have life-threatening allergies. Thousands!" Fortunately, after getting her money back from the daycare, Lundrigan was able to find a childcare centre, called Mini-Skool, in Mississauga, that was happy to accept a child with severe allergies like Ryan. "I provide all his food, prepared in a lunchbox, so they just put his snack out in front of him, they put out his lunch, they put out his afternoon snack and the cook doesn't have to handle any of the food," she said. "This is just so that's he's safe and I was willing to do this at the other place."