Diabetes Day Program

The Diabetes Day Program provides education about diabetes for newly diagnosed families and those who have moved to BC from other provinces or countries.

The education program takes three to four full days (from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) over one to two weeks. You and your child come for breakfast, go home at the end of each day, and return the next morning.

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Diabetes Day Program at BC Children's Hospital

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Referral information

You need a referral from a doctor to participate in the Diabetes Day Program. Once we receive your referral, we will contact you to schedule an appointment.

Providers can learn more on our Endocrinology Referral page.

Preparing for your visit

If your child has been in contact with any infectious diseases (e.g. chicken pox) in the three weeks before this visit, please let us know. Your child may need to be isolated from other children in the Medical Day Unit.

If your child has symptoms of concern to you, please call the Medical Day Unit and we will support you and your child with guidance.

We provide meals and snacks for your child with diabetes. You can bring your own meals and snacks or find more information about food service options at our hospital campus.

All parents and guardians need to attend the diabetes education program to learn to care for their child. The child with diabetes must attend all three days.

Our clinic does not provide childcare services for siblings. Please leave younger siblings at home with a sitter or find out more about our Sibling Support Centre. If you are unable to find childcare supports, we will do our best to accommodate you.

What to expect

This is a three-day program. Please arrive by 8 a.m. daily, before your child eats anything. Your child can have water. We will provide meals and snacks for your child with diabetes. We will do all insulin injections and blood sugar checks with you while you are learning.

If your child is an inpatient at BC Children's Hospital or elsewhere, we may arrange your appointment in the Diabetes Day Program for after breakfast. Your nurse will arrange for your child to arrive by 9:30 a.m.

You will be able to take your child home at about 5:30 p.m. after dinner.

Learning about diabetes

Nurses and dietitians will help you learn about caring for your child with diabetes. A social worker will also meet with you while you’re taking the program, or at your first follow-up appointment.

You may wish to bring some quiet toys or activities for a young child, or some homework or toys for older children in case there is some free time.

During the program, the diabetes nurse educator will teach your family about:

Our current understanding of how diabetes happens
How to do fingerpokes to measure the blood sugar
Symptoms and treatment of high and low blood sugars
How to give insulin injections
How to manage diabetes when your child is active
How to manage diabetes when your child is sick

A dietitian will take a detailed history of your child's eating habits. They will teach you about the different food groups and how they affect blood sugar levels. You will learn about carbohydrate counting, which is needed to calculate your child’s insulin doses at home.

They will also teach you about:

Healthy nutrition
Reading food labels
Food substitutions
Dealing with special occasions (such as birthday parties)

Supplies and supports

We will provide all the contact numbers, educational materials and medical supplies you need for the first week. We will also give you prescriptions for the ongoing diabetes supplies you will need once you and your child are home.

After your child is discharged

When you are discharged, you will be instructed on how to contact the Diabetes Clinic team to let them know how the blood sugar levels and diabetes care are going for you and your child at home.

They will:

Review your child's blood sugar readings since the previous data
Give you your child’s insulin doses for the next few days
Answer any questions you have about your child's diabetes care

You will send blood sugar levels to the Diabetes Clinic team for three to four weeks. Your child’s blood sugar readings and insulin doses should stabilize in that time. Once that happens, you will have weekly check-ins with the Diabetes Clinic nurses.

Follow-up visits

Before we discharge your child from the Diabetes Day Program, we will book a follow-up appointment in the Diabetes Clinic. This appointment is usually one to two months after your child finishes the Diabetes Day Program.

After that, your child will visit the Diabetes Clinic every four to six months. The timing depends on your child's age, how far away you live, and your doctor's recommendations.