{"id":833687,"date":"2026-07-29T13:04:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T13:04:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/833687\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T13:04:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T13:04:14","slug":"mother-speaks-out-after-child-with-autism-dismissed-from-daycare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/833687\/","title":{"rendered":"Mother speaks out after child with autism dismissed from daycare"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The mother of a toddler with autism is raising concerns about inclusivity at daycares after her daughter was dismissed by her child-care provider.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt discriminatory because it felt like they didn\u2019t want to care for her because she was too much for them,\u201d said Katelyn Ennis.<\/p>\n

The daycare would not comment on specifics due to confidentiality, however it did tell CBC News it was aware of the allegations made by the mother and said they were untrue.<\/p>\n

In an interview with CBC News, Ennis alleged there was a lack of communication and collaboration from the daycare about her 2\u00bd-year-old daughter\u2019s care.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they started to see maybe that there were some concerns around behaviour or how she\u2019s communicating, they should have reached out to me and they should have asked to sit down and discuss what measures can be taken,\u201d Ennis said.<\/p>\n

Smiles and Chuckles Children’s Centre in Stewiacke, N.S., said in an email to Ennis following the girl\u2019s dismissal that the centre was unable to provide the care needed while ensuring everyone’s safety.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AKatelyn Ennis’s autistic toddler was dismissed from Smiles and Chuckles Children’s Centre in Stewiacke, N.S., in June after recurring biting incidents raised safety concerns. (Andie Mollins\/CBC)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have continued to observe behaviours that have become increasingly challenging,\u201d executive director Kathy Stewart wrote in the email, which was viewed by CBC News.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

“The decision to end [her] placement was not based on her diagnosis, developmental delays, or communication abilities.”<\/p>\n

The email also noted the seriousness of a biting incident that occurred on the child’s final day at the centre.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Stewart cited the centre\u2019s dismissal policy, which permits end of care when a child\u2019s needs cannot be met, and when extreme issues with behaviour persist.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While Ennis has secured alternative child care, she is concerned about the ability of daycares to meet inclusion standards.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are our children, this is our future, right, so if we don\u2019t set them up for success now, I would be concerned of what that might look like in the future,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Christine Saulnier, the Nova Scotia director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, said removing a child from care would be a difficult decision but may be a symptom of a larger problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a failure of the system and I don\u2019t think we should look necessarily at the decision of the child-care centre itself,\u201d Saulnier said while noting she couldn\u2019t speak to Ennis\u2019s specific situation.<\/p>\n

\"AChristine Saulnier said the child’s dismissal from daycare may be a symptom of a larger problem. (CBC)<\/p>\n

Saulnier points out that daycares in Nova Scotia need more funding, more regulations and more enforcement to provide inclusive care to children with disabilities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s just been such a lack of understanding of the skills and qualifications it takes to ensure that these child-care environments and educators are supported in the ways they need to be,\u201d Saulnier said.<\/p>\n

Recent investments in child care have been significant, but Saulnier said it\u2019s still not enough, especially as more children gain access to care.<\/p>\n

She said incentives are needed for professional development and retention of qualified and experienced staff. Saulnier also said there needs to be capacity for staff to have conversations with parents on paid time, just as schools do with parent-teacher days, for example.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not building this in a way that it\u2019s family-centred, it\u2019s really on the child-care centre and on the ECEs [early childhood educators] \u2026 to figure it out, and that\u2019s not acceptable and it\u2019s not an acceptable approach to inclusion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ABrian Foster, executive director of Inclusion Nova Scotia, said there are resources available to support providers toward building inclusive environments. (CBC)<\/p>\n

Brian Foster is the executive director of Inclusion Nova Scotia, a non-profit group that advocates for individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He emphasized the importance of inclusive environments for all from an early age.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOrganizations have to educate themselves on their human rights responsibilities to individuals, they have to work with families wherever possible to figure out how to navigate that,\u201d Foster told CBC News.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we are constantly framing people with disabilities as a risk and as a safety concern, we are stigmatizing these people and we are setting them up for exclusion \u2026 and the idea that that’s happening to children at that age is frankly disappointing.”<\/p>\n

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