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Asthma Friendly Daycares: A Breath of Fresh Air

442 views · Published 11 September 2015 · 1:52 · Indexed 8 November 2026

Channel: Lee Health · 2015 · Science & Technology

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This is Enzo’s home-away-from-home. He’s been coming to HealthPark Child Development Center since he was a baby.

“I work full time. Enzo went to daycare when he was about six months old,” says Enzo’s mom, Kelly Amati. 

Enzo is a healthy child with one big exception. 

“He was diagnosed when he was a little over a year old with asthma,” says Amati. 

According to the CDC, about 10% of children in this country have asthma; a real danger in young kids. With smaller airways, their symptoms can quickly exacerbate.

“It’s the scariest thing in the world to see a child struggling to breathe,” says Amati. 

When a parent walks through these doors they know their child’s asthma will be well taken care of. It’s a way of life for them and now a growing reality for childcare centers everywhere.

“This is a big step for us to be one of the first centers to go to the platinum level,” says Julia Neal. 

Day care manager Julia Neal represents one of the dozen area childcare centers recently recognized with the highest level of asthma-friendly certification. Lee Memorial Health System helped oversee the program. 

“We had to get rid of a lot of the stuffed animals, curtains in the classrooms, teachers and staff not wearing perfumes,” says Neal. 

Staff also completes specialized training to recognize asthma triggers and episodes and how to manage them. Each child has a personalized action plan.  

“It may say I need to give him a breathing treatment where normally I wouldn't be doing it that time of day. So it gives me that ability to know what to do for that particular child,” says lead teacher, Sheila Bretschneider. 

It’s an added layer of protection for parents like Kelly.

“To have someone being able to take care of him, it gives you the peace of mind,” says Amati. 

Asthma-friendly daycares are helping everyone breathe easier. 


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Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, we’ve been providing our community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.

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