Day-care remedy. (day-care centers in Baltimore, MD)

Sick-child service still a rarity here

The last thing Malinda Hughes needed on an already busy Monday was a sick child. But instead of missing both graduate classes and work, Hughes took her 4-year-old daughter to "sick school" at Harbor Hospital Center.

A prevalent day-care alternative in California and the Midwest for years, sick-child day care, offered at Harbor Hospital for 11 years, is still a rarity in the Baltimore area. It provides an alternative to day care for children who are mildly ill, recovering from illness or surgery, or suffering from severe asthma.

"I'm so impressed by it. Caroline calls it the play place," said Hughes, who is working on a graduate degree and interning at RDW Technologies.

Since its inception in 1987, Harbor Hospital has seen the program's popularity and enrollment grow steadily. In 1997, the hospital's sick-child service played host to almost 700 children - 500 more than its first year.

"I think it's going to become more and more visible and more and more …