Nestling in his mother’s arms, André tucks his feet close to her. “It’s because his circulation isn’t perfect; his feet get cold,” explains his mother, Zorana. Now 3 years old, André’s packed a lot of experience into his short life. Born with a rare heart defect, he had a heart transplant at just two months of age. “When he had his transplant, the doctors told my husband and me that, for the next three years, I would have to be his nurse. And it was true. Right away, I had to quit my job; we moved to a smaller place, sold our truck. André’s done great, and that’s what matters, but it’s been hard on all of us.”

By the time he was two, André was healthy enough for Zorana to consider going back to work. And it was time for André to move into the world of children, as well. “There comes a point when a kid needs to be with other kids,” says Zorana. “No matter how much time I spent playing with him, I was never going to be as fun as a room full of toddlers.” But it was impossible to find an appropriate childcare program. “Yes, André has some uncommon medical needs. But although he’s had a disability, he doesn’t really have permanent developmental delays,” she continues. “On the other hand, regular programs couldn’t pay attention to his medical symptoms and handle his medications. What he needed was a place that takes care of special-needs children as part of a mainstream program.”

Then she found out about Family Developmental Center, a no-cost developmental childcare center for at-risk children from low-income families, which reserves 20% of its spaces for medically fragile children. Thanks to FDC’s on-site nurse, therapists, and experienced staff, Zorana knows that André’s special medical needs are being met —which means that she and her husband can breathe easy. “We know, when we drop him off every morning, that the staff can take care of the whole boy. At FDC, they ‘mainstream’ all the kids. All of the special therapies are provided within the regular program. Each week, André has one-on-one occupational therapy. But since the therapist works within the whole group, and since it’s play-based, the kids don’t realize that some of them are receiving special therapy. As far as they all know, they’re just playing together.”

In helping André, FDC has helped the whole family get back on track. “Finding FDC meant that I could go back to work,” Zorana explains, the relief clear in her eyes. “It’s letting my husband and me get our feet under us again, and it’s letting André be something I wasn’t sure he would ever be: just a boy.” As André wriggles off her lap to grab a toy, Zorana rolls her eyes. “These days, he’s just a normal boy. It’s funny, but I have to say that it’s nice to have normal, motherly irritations. I didn’t think I would.”