An Innovative Nonprofit-led Childcare Center at a Health Facility

Some low-income patients were skipping or delaying medical care due to a lack of childcare. This was a challenge faced by Annie, a friend of Natalie Boyle, who stressed to Boyle that she couldn’t afford to pay for someone to care for her two and four-year-old children. Boyle managed to leverage her social network via online crowdfunding to raise money to pay for Annie’s childcare needs. But this experience—and similar experiences faced by others—prompted Boyle to believe she could start a nonprofit to tackle this very issue.

Nathalie Boyle reached out to Kavita Bhavan, MD, MHS, chief innovation officer at Parkland Health in Dallas, Texas, who oversaw the development of out-of-the-box solutions to health system challenges. Boyle's idea was to launch a no-cost, on-site childcare center at the hospital for patients. This idea was realized in 2014, when Annie’s Place at Parkland Health in Dallas opened. The childcare center was named after Boyle’s friend, Annie, who had died of cancer as they were preparing to open the facility. The center operates free of charge—parents simply sign-up during their hospital check-in, and their children stay in the on-site center at no cost.

• Quickly identify a relevant person of contact to build a partnership: Nathalie Boyle quickly identified Kavita Bhavan of Parkland Health as an ideal person to pitch her vision with; identifying personnel at target organizations who share your vision for your childcare product/service is important.
• Demonstrate health impact: Collect and communicate clear data linking childcare provision directly to improved patient healthcare outcomes to justify continued and expanded funding.