CHARLOTTETOWN – If your child has life-threatening allergies, you could have trouble finding a daycare space. As many as one in five daycares will refuse or be reluctant to take an anaphylactic child, according to a CBC survey.

While a parent of such a child could file a human rights challenge, it hasn’t happened. In fact, Kim Doyle (who was interviewed for the CBC report) indicated that she was more interested in finding a daycare that made her feel comfortable than launching lawsuits. Doyle visited 10 daycares before placing her son, who is highly allergic to peanuts.

Doyle said that some daycares refused anaphylactic children outright: “Some were just, flat out, no we don’t.” Others were willing but apparently unclear on what it really meant to have a child with life-threatening allergies in their midst.

The CBC survey of 30 daycares in Charlottetown found that 2 refused to take an anaphylactic child. An additional 3 were reluctant to take such a child. Others were willing but still have peanut or nut products on site.

This is very different from the provincial elementary school approach in PEI where all schools that have students with life-threatening allergies in attendance have to be free of the problem foods. In addition, school staff have been trained in appropriate protocols.

Daycares in the province have no such consistent allergy policy. Sarah Henry with the Department of Early Childhood Development said: “All of our early childhood centres are individual businesses, and operating with their own individual policies.”

CBC.CA