What does a day at a PPEC look like?

By Superhero Kids PPEC care team · Updated October 19, 2026 · 7 min read

AI-made picture of a therapist tossing a big yellow ball to a smiling boy on a therapy mat. Not a photo of anyone at Superhero Kids.

A day at a PPEC looks like a school day with nurses in the room. Your child arrives and a nurse checks on them. Then the day follows the plan of care your child's doctor signed: medicines, feedings, therapy, play and rest. At Superhero Kids, the doors open at 7 am and close at 7 pm, Monday to Saturday.

Many families have to choose a center before they can visit. So this page is the tour. It answers the question parents ask most, what does a day at a PPEC look like, step by step. It also says what to ask about your own child.

Talk with your child's doctor about the hours and the care your child needs each day. The center works from a physician referral. Florida's rule calls it a prescription from the child's attending doctor ³. You can start the process with or without one.

At a glance

Open Monday to Saturday, 7 am to 7 pm ¹¹. Florida law allows a child up to 12 hours a day ¹.
Florida Medicaid counts 5 to 12 hours as a full day and 4 hours or less as a partial day ⁹.
Your child's plan of care is signed by a registered nurse and a doctor, and updated every 180 days ⁹.
Florida sets a staffing floor: 10 to 12 children need at least 4 staff, 2 of them licensed nurses ⁴.
82 licensed seats, the largest PPEC in Palm Beach County. AHCA license 60081108.

What time does the day start?

The center opens at 7 am and closes at 7 pm ¹¹. Your child's own start time comes from the hours in the referral. Florida law caps any child at 12 hours in a 24-hour period ¹.

If your child rides with an escort, the PPEC day starts when your child is picked up at home or school. It ends when your child is dropped back home ⁹. For children with Florida Medicaid, rides are covered by Medicaid's transportation benefit, which is separate from PPEC. When that benefit is used, the center provides the escort ⁹. Read how PPEC transportation works, or call to ask.

What does a day at a PPEC look like from drop-off to pickup?

It looks like a mix of nursing care, personal care, therapy, play and rest, in an order the nurses set for each child. Florida requires every PPEC to provide medical, nursing, personal care, developmental and psychosocial services, caregiver training and respiratory therapy ⁹. The law calls this family-centered care for a child's medical, developmental, nutritional and social needs ².

What the state requires	What you will see on a tour
Nursing care	Nurses giving medicines, treatments and feedings on the schedule in the plan of care ⁴⁹
Personal care	Help with what a child cannot do alone. Staff wash their hands after direct contact with each child ⁷⁹
Developmental therapy and play	Rooms with toys and mats, and activities that fit each child's age and ability ⁹¹⁰
Rest	A crib or bed labeled with your child's name. Linens changed when soiled, and at least twice a week ⁷
Feedings	By mouth or by tube, as the plan says. Medicaid's PPEC payment does not include food or formula, so ask what to send ⁹
Safety	Emergency numbers posted by the phone, a backup generator tested every 30 days, and a first-aid and CPR kit ⁸

At Superhero Kids, you will see separate areas for feeding, therapy and medical care, and a playroom like the one in the photo above ¹¹.

When are medicines and feedings given?

Medicines and feedings follow the schedule in your child's plan of care, not one clock for every child. The plan is written with you before the first day ⁵. A registered nurse and your child's doctor sign it, and it is updated at least every 180 days ⁹. Your child stays under that doctor's care the whole time ⁵.

A registered nurse gives or supervises every nursing task ³⁴. Licensed practical nurses and direct care staff work under the registered nurse ⁴.

Florida requires every PPEC to keep medical records on each child ¹. Ask how the center records each dose and feeding, and how you can see that record.

When does therapy happen?

Therapy happens during the PPEC day, inside the center, on days and times set by your child's referral and plan. At Superhero Kids, speech, physical, feeding and occupational therapy are provided through the center's partner, Progressive Pediatric Therapy. The choice of therapy provider is the family's. Developmental therapies are part of every PPEC day by state rule ⁹¹⁰.

Speech, occupational and physical therapy are what Florida calls supportive services ³. Medicaid pays for them separately from the PPEC day, so your child's doctor orders them and the approval sets how often ⁹. Ask on your tour how often your child would get therapy.

Who is with my child during the day?

A registered nurse is on duty, with more nurses and direct care staff as the number of children grows ⁴. Florida sets the minimum. Ten to twelve children need four staff, at least two of them licensed nurses ⁴. A full-time registered nurse, the Director of Nursing, runs the center's daily operation ⁴.

At Superhero Kids, the team includes a Medical Director, a Director of Nursing, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and certified nursing assistants ¹¹. The team speaks English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Portuguese and French.

How do parents get updates during the day?

You get updates three ways by state rule. You sign a daily log, you get a call if your child gets sick, and the nurses teach you about your child's care. Each center sets its own way to share the rest, so ask whether you get a note, a call or an app.

Every day, a parent or guardian signs a log with the time the child arrived and left, or was picked up and returned home ⁹. Nurses are also required to teach you how to care for your child at home, and to help the whole family cope, siblings included ⁴. You get a full orientation to the center's services on your child's first day ⁶.

If a child shows signs of an illness that can spread, the center must separate the child and notify the parent. The child goes home as soon as possible ⁷. Superhero Kids has an isolation room for this. A nurse stays with the child, and the center calls you with an update ¹¹. In an emergency, the center calls a licensed ambulance service, and a staff member rides with your child ⁸.

Come see the day for yourself. Call (561) 877-2152. Open Monday to Saturday, 7 am to 7 pm. We return calls within 15 minutes during those hours, and you can visit the same day. We are at 1700 W. Woolbright Rd, Suites 3 and 7, Boynton Beach, FL 33426.

Questions parents ask

Can my child go for part of the day?

Yes, if the referral says so. Florida Medicaid counts 4 hours or less as a partial day and 5 to 12 hours as a full day ⁹. It will not pay for both on the same date ⁹. Talk with your child's doctor about the hours that fit your child.

Do I need to send food or formula?

Ask the center before the first day. Florida Medicaid's PPEC payment does not cover food or formulas ⁹, so ask what to send and how it is stored. Tell the nurses about any allergy or special formula.

What happens if my child gets sick at the center?

The center separates your child in its isolation room, a nurse stays with your child, and you get a call ⁷¹¹. Florida requires every PPEC to have an isolation room with a large glass window, so the child is always in view ⁷. Your child can come back when the doctor writes that the illness is gone ⁷.

Keep reading

Sources

Florida Statutes, section 400.914 (rules; the 12-hour limit; medical records). Read October 19, 2026. https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/400.914
Florida Statutes, section 400.901 (legislative intent). Read October 19, 2026. https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/400.901
Florida Statutes, section 400.902 (definitions; prescription and consent). Read October 19, 2026. https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/400.902
Florida Administrative Code, Rule 59A-13.010 (nursing services and staffing). Read October 19, 2026. https://www.flrules.org/gateway/readFile.asp?sid=0&tid=22755053&type=1&file=59A-13.010.doc
Florida Administrative Code, Rule 59A-13.007 (admission). Read October 19, 2026. https://www.flrules.org/gateway/readFile.asp?sid=0&tid=1823617&type=1&file=59A-13.007.doc
Florida Administrative Code, Rule 59A-13.013 (training and parent orientation). Read October 19, 2026. https://www.flrules.org/gateway/readFile.asp?sid=0&tid=1824005&type=1&file=59A-13.013.doc
Florida Administrative Code, Rule 59A-13.020 (infection control). Read October 19, 2026. https://www.flrules.org/gateway/readFile.asp?sid=0&tid=1824296&type=1&file=59A-13.020.doc
Florida Administrative Code, Rule 59A-13.022 (fire safety and emergency procedures). Read October 19, 2026. https://www.flrules.org/gateway/readFile.asp?sid=0&tid=1824393&type=1&file=59A-13.022.doc
Florida Medicaid, Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care Services Coverage Policy, February 2018, adopted in Rule 59G-4.260. Read October 19, 2026. https://www.flrules.org/gateway/RuleNo.asp?ID=59G-4.260
Agency for Health Care Administration, Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care (PPEC). Read October 19, 2026. https://ahca.myflorida.com/medicaid/child-health-services/prescribed-pediatric-extended-care-ppec.html
Superhero Kids PPEC, Our Services, FAQ and Contact pages. Read October 19, 2026. https://www.superherokidsppec.com/faq