MCH drop-in daycare reopens

The Montreal Children's Hospital (MCH) drop-in daycare service, the Just for Kids Sibling Park, which had been closed since the beginning of the pandemic, will reopen its doors on March 17, 2023. 

This free service allows parents to leave the siblings of a hospitalized child in the care of an educator and volunteers while they are at the bedside of their sick child. Up to five adults are on site to take care of the children. 

Priority is given to siblings of infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, but the Just for Kids Sibling Park is also open to siblings of patients in other units depending on available space and on a first-come, first-served basis. No reservations are necessary, but you must register your child for the first visit. 

Children age 12 and under are eligible, without time limit. A variety of activities are scheduled each day and are posted outside the facility (Block B, S1-2702). Meals are not included. Parents must remain in the hospital and be reachable at all times.  

Opening hours 

The service is available on Fridays, from 4 to 7 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays, from noon to 6 p.m. It will be open seven days a week during the summer months (Monday to Friday, from 4 to 7 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays, from noon to 6 p.m.). It does not close during the holiday season or spring break. 

"The Just for Kids Sibling Park is designed to support families when the school or daycare that the other children attend is closed. It is also a way to include siblings in the hospital experience," explains Lise Gagnon, volunteer coordinator at the MCH. 

To register your child, please contact [email protected]. 

Sincere thanks to the Just For Kids Foundation, which has funded this program since 2017.