Daystar was founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph in September 1988 as a foster home for medically fragile infants, filling an unmet need to provide safe, quality care for this population – a need that continues today as medical advances save the lives of children who in the past would not have survived.
In 2001, doctors in the neo-natal intensive care unit at Golisano Children’s Hospital at Strong urged Daystar to expand its services to provide medical daycare – first for two babies, and following an expansion of our current home, for 10 babies per day. Mary Erturk, a neonatal nurse who had begun volunteering in Daystar's foster care program, was the leader of this iniative. She founded the day program and continued as Daystar's program director until her retirement in the fall of 2009.
Today, Daystar for Medically Fragile Infants, Inc. is dedicated to supporting our community’s most vulnerable infants from newborn to age five by providing quality childcare, respite care, advocacy, and family support in a safe and stimulating home environment. Daystar is the first and only program in New York State to offer nursing-supervised childcare to this population of medically fragile and developmentally challenged infants and toddlers. Children receive safe, professional care in a home-like setting with programs that address their medical, developmental and social needs. Daystar families receive essential guidance, education, and support in facing the multiple challenges of raising a child with medical and developmental complexities. As a licensed Group Family Day Care through the NYS Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), Daystar may care for up to 12 babies each day on a full-time basis.