Tradional Winter/Spring 21-22
CHOOSING A PPEC
C
By Linda Brown,
n,
s
Director & Creator of BrightStart Pediatrics
If have
you
have a child with medical complica
ons, hopefully you know what
plica
PP
a PPEC is. If not, today is a good
day
to learn. PPEC stands for Prescribed
Pediatric Extended Care centers and
cribed Pedia
we are an essen
al resource to help you
navigate the many challenges ahead. Many
of our families think of us as “medical day
care” because in our centers, we provide
nursing and therapy services for medically
fragile infants and children. I am the President
of BrightStart Pediatrics, and we have
been providing PPEC services for the children
of Central Florida since 2003. I grew up
in Orlando and have worked as a pediatric
Occupaonal Therapist here. It gives me
great joy to help children and their families
navigate the difficules they
face. That’s why it’s important to me
that you be informed and make the best
decision for your lile one.
Having lived and worked in this community
for so long, I have seen many PPEC’s come
and go. If you are looking for a child friendly,
day-care like seng to care for and
enrich your medically fragile child’s life,
PPEC may be the answer for you. Evaluang
these things may help you in determining
the best PPEC for you.
● People. It’s essenal that you feel
comfortable with the people caring for your
child. At BrightStart, we know how
important it is to work closely with our families.
We want to be partners in your child’s
care. Every family is different but together
we can find the best path to help your child
grow. It’s through good communicaon that
we can solve issues that arise.
● Environment. A PPEC center is not a
sterile environment, but it should be clean
and organized. You should see evidence of
toys and acvies. You should also discuss
their infecon control procedures. COVID
has been central to all of our lives and you
need to know if your PPEC is protecng your
child. At BrightStart we are diligent about
personal protecve equipment, social
distancing and sterilizing our areas. We are
proud to say, that as of today, 18 months
into this pandemic, not a single child has
acquired COVID from our center.
● Developmental Focus. Children have
different needs at different developmental
stages. It’s important that your PPEC recognizes
this and tailors their approach for your
child. BrightStart has different rooms
designed for different ages and abilies. This
allows us to protect the children that need
protecon while sll encouraging their drive
to develop. We know the importance of
offering our children enrichment acvies
appropriate for their level and strive to find
what movates each child.
● Free Choice. Choosing a PPEC is an
important decision and its yours to
make. You don’t have to pick the same company
that may provide other services for
your child. Centers can be very different, so
it’s important that you visit more than one
and find the one that is the best fit for you!
BrightStart Pediatrics prides itself on pung
the child first in all situaons. While I know
we have an outstanding program, we
respect and support a parent’s right to
decide what is best for them. It’s important
to me that you find the place to best help
your child thrive and I hope that this will
help you get there!
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