Inside a Pediatric PPEC: Medical Daycare Where Kids Thrive and Play

Tender Care provides skilled nursing services in a daycare-like environment.

Inside a Pediatric PPEC: Medical Daycare Where Kids Thrive and Play

🎉 Life at Our PPEC: Where Giggles Meet Growth! 🌈

Welcome to a day in the life of our PPEC where little superheroes wear feeding tubes instead of capes and medical care is wrapped in cuddles and cartoons!

At Tender Care PPEC, we believe that just because a child has complex medical needs doesn’t mean they can’t have fun, learn, and thrive in a playful, loving environment. Here’s a behind-the-scenes peek at what makes our center so special:

🏥 Care With a Capital “C”

Our team of pediatric nurses, therapists, and caregivers are like real-life fairy godmothers (and godfathers!) Expertly trained in everything from G-tubes to glucose monitoring, all while singing along to “Baby Shark” with a smile. We’re here for the bumps, the giggles, and everything in between.

🎨 Play is Our Superpower

Whether it’s painting with pudding, having a themed dress-up day, or sensory play with bubbles and lights, our kiddos get to explore and express themselves every single day. Therapy often looks like play and that’s exactly how we like it!

📚 Learning Through Laughter

Developmental milestones are celebrated like birthdays here! From first signs to first steps, we work closely with physical, occupational, and speech therapists to turn each moment into a chance to grow and we always cheer the loudest.

🍎 Nutrition & Naptime = Gold

Our kids might have different feeding needs, but that doesn’t mean snack time is any less sacred. And after a morning full of excitement, our cozy nap spaces (complete with soft lullabies) are perfect for recharging those tiny batteries.

💌 Partners in Care

Parents, you’re our MVPs. We love partnering with you to make sure your child gets the personalized care and attention they deserve. Need updates, questions answered, or just want to see a midday smile pic? We’re only a call or message away.


Why Families Love Us
We hear it all the time – “I didn’t know a place like this existed!” PPECs like ours bridge the gap between home care and the hospital, giving medically complex children a place to thrive while giving parents peace of mind.


Come Say Hi!
Thinking about joining our PPEC family? We’d love to give you a tour. Whether you’re new to the idea or just want to learn more, reach out anytime. We promise it’ll be the start of something magical. ✨

Stay playful, stay strong,
Tender Care PPEC

Medical Daycare

Tender Care provides care for medically complex and fragile children from birth to 21 years of age in a daycare-like environment staffed with nurses, CNAs, and therapists. We are the first independently owned PPEC in the State of Florida with our initial center opening in 1988. This means we have an abundance of experience and knowledge in providing loving care to this special pediatric population. We have 6 Tender Care PPEC centers throughout Florida, with our newest facility located in Lake Park.

Lake Park Location

Our goal is to enhance the development of each child through collaborative relationships between families, physicians, nurses, and therapists. This holistic approach to care is carried out in an environment that allows the child to engage in social interactions with their peers. This results in thriving children, well-positioned to achieve their greatest potential. We also offer transportation at no cost and provide nutritious meals throughout the day. 

What sets us apart is that we care for and treat every child like family. We have passion in our hearts for our children and a desire to see them succeed.

We are so excited to have a table at this fair and can’t wait to meet all the families that attend.

You can follow us on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

PPEC Offers Many Advantages…

To the child/family:

  • Centrally located nursing and therapy decreases intrusions into family dynamics at home
  • Increased socialization with other children
  • Decreased hospitalization
  • Personalized case management ensuring the best care for your child
  • Offers caregivers increased potential to return to work or school
  • Early detection of potential health problems by licensed professionals

To the payer:

  • Decreased hospitalizations through early detection and case management
  • Increased compliance with plan of care resulting in less utilization of health care benefits
  • An average savings of 40% to 50% compared to Home Health services

 

Common pediatric diagnoses that indicate a potential need for daily skilled nursing services:

  • Premature infants diagnosed with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, apnea of prematurity, oxygen and pulse oximetry dependence
  • Cerebral palsy with gastrostomy or jejunostomy dependence and/or seizures
  • Spina bifida with or without an Arnold Chiari malformation and shunt monitoring, and urinary catheterization dependence
  • Certain cardiac anomalies
  • Post-transplant status
  • Immunosuppressed status
  • Tracheostomy status (with or without ventilator dependence)
  • Failure to thrive
  • Chronic Kidney Disease
  • History of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy
  • Adrenal Insufficiency
  • Presence of a colostomy, ileostomy, urostomy, or vesicostomy

*This is not medical advice, always consult with your child’s doctor before making any changes to their lifestyle. 

Related:

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What is a PPEC? A Guide for Parents of Children with Complex Medical Needs.

What is a PPEC? This guide explains what PPEC is, how it benefits children, and how it supports families in managing complex medical conditions.

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Tender Care PPEC attended the Developmental Differences Resource Fair on July 22nd! The fair was hosted by North Florida Behavior Consultants and the Jacksonville Icemen, located at Community First Igloo.

PPEC Meaning

PPEC Meaning: For children with special medical needs, having access to the right care and support is crucial for their well-being and development. In some cases, families may seek specialized services to meet their child’s medical and therapeutic requirements. This is where PPEC comes in.

Tender Care was a Guest on the DocTok Podcast!

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Tender Care Attended UF Health’s Fall Family Fun Event! (2024)

We had so much fun attending UF Health Neurodevelopmental Pediatric Center’s Fall Family Fun Event on October 3rd! This event was at their building in Jacksonville, Florida. We had a lot of people stop by our table to learn about Tender Care PPEC and how we are involved in the community. 

Ep. 1 – Building Our Village – Tender Care Starts a Podcast

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The Hernando County Hawks Came to Visit Tender Care’s Spring Hill Center!

The Hernando County Hawks came to visit our Spring Hill Tender Care center on February 9th! They were able to spend time with the kids and learn more about them. They played football and hide-and-seek on the playground. 

Alex from Tender Care Participated in the Hernando County Hawks Coin Toss on March 2nd!

The Hernando County Hawks invited Alex, from our Spring Hill Tender Care center, to participate in the coin toss on March 2nd!

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