Working parents often have a daycare dilemma when it comes to sick kids.

What can a parent do when a child is too sick to go to child care, but taking time off from work is not an option? Well, a child care center in Virginia Beach recently opened that’s part of a trend in child care to specialize in taking care of sick kids.

Depending on their age, an estimated 52% to 80% of children spend time in group day care, so when a child gets sick, they can spend time at the Get Well Place, a separate section of Rainbow Station Pre-School’s child care center.

The Get Well Place even has its own ventilation system, separate from the rest of the school.

Three-year-old Owen has a respiratory and stomach virus. His dad is at work, and his mom is recovering from surgery.

“Conventional wisdom says, of course, parents should stay at home with their sick kids,” said Mazel Mariono, RN, nurse practitioner at the Get Well Place. “But, in this changing economy and dual income families, sometimes that’s not possible.”

According to authors of The Working Parents Help Book, hospitals led the way toward sick child day care because they needed to minimize lost work days. Today, some 300 centers for sick kids exist.

"The fact is there's a RN on site to direct patient care, to administer medications,” said Mariono. “It just gives them a little piece of mind that they're not leaving their sick child with just anybody. They're leaving their child in capable hands."

Sometimes the best medicine is a parent's loving care, but when it's not possible for parents to be away from work, every family needs a backup plan.

You can expect to pay more for sick child day care. It averages $40 to $60 a day.