"Cukierkowo" - the Private Integration Kindergarten and Nursery for children suffering from type 1 diabetes is the first facility of this type in Warsaw. It accepts children from 2 to 6 years of age, including those with other he alth problems - celiac disease, allergies, obesity, and motor disabilities. The kindergarten was established on the initiative of the "Cukierkowo" Foundation for children and adolescents with diabetes.
Type I diabetes most often affects adolescents and children. That is why it is called childhood diabetes. Unfortunately, despite the advances in medicine, doctors do not know how to prevent the emergence of this disease among young people.
In addition, they observe a decreasing age of patients who are currently diagnosed with this type of diabetes. This means that younger and younger children need qualified help 24 hours a day. The "Cukierkowo" kindergarten in Warsaw is intended for such children.
Fear of diabetes
- When my son fell ill with diabetes, he was 10 years old - says Ewa Urbańska, founder of the "Cukierkowo" Foundation and the owner of the first kindergarten in Warsaw for children with type 1 diabetes. - He was in elementary school at that time. When we left the hospital with the insulin pump, it turned out that I had to be on the phone all the time because the teachers are afraid, unable and unaware to monitor my child's he alth. Anyway, I preferred to do it myself, because I already knew from the first hospital experience that it was very complicated.
Type I diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease: the body destroys its own cells that produce insulin, a hormone that is impossible to live without. Lack of insulin means excess blood glucose, and too high sugar levels are a serious he alth risk.
- My son got an insulin pump, but it's a device that does not do everything - explains Ewa Urbańska. - The only thing that saves us from the pump is that we do not have to inject the child several times a day. The puncture is one thing and it can stay in the body for up to three days, but we need to know what and how much the sick toddler ate and what dose of insulin to give him. Before my son grew up and was able to monitor his blood sugar level himself, I weighed the food before serving him and after eating to check how much he ate - recalls the owner of the kindergarten. - Then I calculated the amount of carbohydrates, proteins,fat, I multiplied by my son's individual index and on this basis I determined the dose of the drug. It's quite complicated, you need to have the knowledge that I gained gradually in the hospital.
Children's diabetes wards are indeed places for the first lessons for parents of children with diabetes. There they listen to doctors, nurses, nutritionists, take notes and read the materials they receive. Nevertheless, as Ewa Urbańska recalls, when you have to calculate your own insulin dose for the first time, you feel paralyzing fear.
- I was completely lost even though I knew it was all a matter of practice and habit. But I also knew that it was a huge challenge, because insulin is such a hormone that given too much can kill, given too little - it causes an increase in blood sugar, which destroys the body. It's like walking on a rope - he adds.
Born of need
A few months after her son's diagnosis, Ewa Urbańska heard that her friend's 4-year-old child also developed type I diabetes. - This disease turned the lives of their entire family, not only this child, upside down. My friend did not want to close him at home, she wanted him to live a normal life, play with his peers, learn and develop. That is why she did not intend to take him from kindergarten - says our interlocutor.
- Unfortunately, the director of the facility did not want to take responsibility for the ward with the insulin pump. My friend had to take time off work and sit in the kindergarten corridor to give the child insulin after each meal and to supervise his physical activity, which affects the sugar level. It was then that I came up with the idea of setting up a kindergarten for children with diabetes, one that would employ people with great knowledge about this disease, who would not be afraid of giving their child insulin.
The idea was good, but Ewa Urbańska did not have the money for such an investment. That is why she founded the "Cukierkowo" Foundation for children with diabetes, the aim of which was to create an integrated kindergarten focused on caring for children with type I diabetes.
- We work for children and adolescents with diabetes, we organize events such as sugar screening in shopping centers or during various events, we educate the public by talking about what the disease is and what it is - lists the founder of the foundation . - But our priority task from the very beginning was to open a kindergarten. We've been working on it for 6 years and this year we've made it.
Qualified staff
A kindergarten for children with diabetes was established in Ursynów, Warsaw, at ul. Clubhouse. It is an inclusive kindergarten aimed at children fromdiabetes, but also accepting babies with other he alth problems. According to the original idea, it ensures the safety of those in care requiring insulin administration and the psychological comfort of their parents. - Our task is to create such a care that allows mum to work calmly, and not sit in the kindergarten corridor with a laptop on her lap - says Ewa Urbańska.
Diabetes nurses who are experienced in working with children suffering from type 1 diabetes, who use insulin pumps and pens on a daily basis, work on a permanent basis in the facility. There is also a diabetes educator, and the tutors are properly trained. One of them suffers from diabetes herself.
- All employees in the kindergarten must have appropriate knowledge that will allow them, for example, to notice disturbing symptoms of a drop in sugar in a child - explains the owner. - Our next idea is to develop a device that would display the blood glucose data of each patient on a monitor hanging in the room. I have already spoken to programmers from a company who said it could be done and that they would help us. This would greatly facilitate the work of our nurses and educators.
Appropriate staff and equipment is not everything, however. The kindergarten has a mathematics profile and this is not a coincidence. - Diabetes is associated with constant counting, weighing, measuring and counting - says Ewa Urbańska. -There are numbers, units, numbers that need to be added and multiplied. We want to teach children from an early age mathematics so that in a few years they will be able to give themselves the right amount of the hormone.
The kindergarten also provides children with the opportunity to be active outdoors, which directly affects glucose metabolism. The seat of "Cukierkowa" is located on a large plot of 4,000 sq m. sq m with many old trees. There is a hill that is ideal for sledding and a place where there may be a swimming pool in the future.
Not only children with diabetes
As befits an integrated kindergarten, its seat meets all the requirements necessary for the care of disabled children. The long and complicated renovation of the building (which in addition turned out to be a monument, which made it difficult to introduce the necessary changes) ended with the construction of ramps for prams and sanitary facilities adapted to the needs of disabled children.
The kindergarten has an extensive fire protection system, mechanical ventilation, its own hydrants and two stoves. Of course, there is also our own kitchen, which cares for a he althy diet of diabetic patients and prepares meals with a low glycemic index, prepared by an employed dietitian.
- Due to the renovation and the lack of funds, the opening of the kindergarten was constantly moving - says Ewa Urbańska. - Many previously enrolled children had to go to other institutions. But we are already working and accepting children. We currently have 15 children with type I diabetes, in September, several children with other disabilities, including motor disabilities, are to come, and he althy siblings of several sick children. Recruitment lasts all year round because the disease never starts on September 1. Ultimately, we want to have 60 pupils. We have also created a nursery group because there is such a need: many parents of 2-year-olds and younger, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, come to us. Unfortunately, this disease affects younger and younger children - adds the interviewee.