The First Day Homecare story really started with Darby. We set out on a mission to care for infants and children like Darby, who typically have one of the "Triad of Private Duty Nursing"... a tracheostomy, a ventilator, and/or a feeding tube. Darby was just the first of many patients we cared for out of our flagship Michigan location. When educating the community about the care we provide, we often hear things like, "Isn't it hard to care for sick children?" and, "I'm not sure my heart could take it." It's important to know that not every child's path looks the same. While some medically complex children may have a life-limiting condition, there are just as many out there who don't. It is not uncommon for us to admit an infant who was born prematurely, is going home with a tracheostomy and a feeding tube, but by the time they are 3 or 4 years old, they will get rid of these things and graduate from our home nursing services. (We send our little graduates a First Day Homecare cape, because they are truly our little superheroes!) We don't refer to our patients as sick at First Day Homecare, they're just a bit complex. They have a few more tubes and machines than other children do, and First Day Homecare has the nurses who are specially trained to care for them.
When we opened our first location in Michigan, we didn't have any plans to franchise. We remained hyper-focused on becoming the best pediatric Private Duty Nursing provider in Michigan, and helping as many infants and children throughout the state as we could. As our flagship office grew each year, we saw great success but we also became acutely aware of just how needed this service is, not just in Michigan, but across the U.S. We had some decisions to make...do we stop here, or do we find a way to offer our services in other states? The answer was an easy one, and it really goes back to our original mission. In order to help as many infants and children across the U.S. to get access to this so-desperately needed nursing service, we would take our care model into other states by awarding and supporting First Day Homecare franchises. First Day Homecare is the first (and only) homecare franchise in the U.S. to specialize in pediatric in-home nursing services. We are so excited to have the opportunity to support entrepreneurs across the U.S. who will be using the First Day Homecare model to really make a difference in people's lives in their local communities. We can't wait to start this journey with our family of franchise partners. Together, we'll work to make today the First Day of better days.
Harvey Mathews and Emily Wiechmann RN, Co-Founders
