May 13, 2005

Child care at its best: MGH Backup Child Care Center

Every working parent has experienced it: the anxiety — perhaps even guilt — that comes along with the first day care experience. How will the child adjust to spending the day with a roomful of other children? What if the child spends the whole day just crying? What if that first experience is at a backup child care center — a day care that is intended to provide only emergency, second-line care when regular child care plans fall through?

For MGH employees whose day care experiences have included the MGH Backup Child Care Center, the process has been overwhelmingly, and reassuringly, positive. Teresa Sheehan, RN, a nurse in the MGH Emergency Department, first brought her almost two-year-old daughter, Hanna, to the Backup Center in February. Sheehan, who works rotating shifts, is typically at the hospital weekends or nights and has a babysitter to care for Hanna at those times. Occasionally, however, she works an eight-hour weekday shift and needs child care coverage for Hanna, often on short notice. "The first time I brought Hanna in, it was difficult for both of us," Sheehan admits. "She was crying when I left, and I worried about taking her out of her usual routine. When I checked on her later though, she had settled right in, and she left that afternoon in great spirits."

For 18-month-old Andreas Masiakos (pictured above), a Thomas the Tank Engine wooden railway made him feel comfortable at the center. Andreas' father, Peter Masiakos, MD, of MassGeneral Hospital for Children, sought out the Backup Child Care Center in March so he and his wife could focus on some personal matters that temporarily required their full attention. Though Andreas, an only child, had no previous day care experience, he enjoyed his time at the center, delighted by both the toys and the other children. "Andreas is a pretty social kid, and the Backup Child Care Center has been a great experience for all of us," Masiakos says. "The location, staff and facility have all been ideal for our family. As his days at the center went by, my hourly check-ins became much fewer."

Patty Pirone, director of the Backup Child Care Center since September 2004, credits the staff for making the center a positive experience for MGH families. "Working in a center like this, where the class changes daily and children are often coming in from very emotional situations, requires a special set of skills," she says. "We're fortunate to have teachers with all the energy, flexibility and ingenuity that this type of setting requires."

The Backup Child Care Center is open to all MGH and Partners employees with benefits as well as to MGH patients. The center accepts children from 15 months to 12 years old and can accommodate up to 24 children daily. MGH families may use the Backup Child Care Center a maximum of five consecutive days and a maximum of 20 days per year. The rate is $6 an hour. The center is open from 7 am to 6 pm Monday through Friday, and from 8 am to 2 pm Saturday with adequate demand. For more information or to make a reservation, call (617) 724-7100.