JoAnne Fuciu

JoAnne Fuciu, System Director Lee Memorial Health System Child Development Center

(JoAnne Fuciu, System Director/Child Development Centers – 30 min)

XI. Medical Staff Survey Update (Accept)

"Child care centers in the State of Florida are licensed by the Department of Children & Family Services," says JoAnne Fuciu, System Director of the Lee Memorial Health System Child Development Centers.

"We've cared for more than 1300 children over the last 20 years," said JoAnne Fuciu, System Director of the Child Development Centers.

"This was a very difficult decision," said JoAnne Fuciu, director of Lee Memorial's Child Development Centers.
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"This has really been hard for me because certainly my priorities are to parents and I really want what's best for the children," Fuciu said.

System Director JoAnne Fuciu said scheduling was the biggest problem.Parents at her centers are generally Lee Memorial employees who don't have traditional schedules.They would have had to drop their 4-year-olds off at set hours rather than enjoy the flexibility they do now.

Fuciu said she also would have to charge parents for nap and lunch hours - the state prekindergarten money only covers instructional time - and would have had to charge them for additional day-care hours beyond the 15 per week the state covers.

"We're watching it for this year and considering whether we'll do it next year," Fuciu said.

They have seen their parents scared and their environments turned upside down," said JoAnne Fuciu, system director for Lee Memorial Hospital's Child Development Centers.
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Fuciu encourages parents to include their children in clean-up work.

"Even pre-school age children can help.Just give them a simple task like raking; that way you can watch them and they can help at the same time," she said.

"That protects their child, and it protects other children," said JoAnne Fuciu, director of Lee Memorial Health System's child development centers.

A few parents already have started asking whether they should pull their children from day care if bird flu hits the region.

Fuciu isn't recommending that, and she promised her staff would keep close watch on children.

"We're going to be very cautious.We're going to follow every guideline that's set," she said.