Respite Care Services in St. Albert, Edmonton, and Fort McMurray
Family Respite Care for Children with Special Needs
At Bright Star Respite, we provide family respite services in St. Albert, Edmonton, and Fort McMurray for children with developmental, behavioral, physical, and communication needs. Our mission is to give caregivers time to rest and recharge, while children enjoy safe, meaningful, and joyful experiences with trained respite providers.
Every child is unique, and every family’s needs are different. That’s why our respite care programs are flexible, personalized, and built on compassion, inclusivity, and trust.
In-Home Respite Care
Our in-home respite care services bring professional caregivers directly into your home. Parents can stay or step out, confident that their child is safe and supported.
Activities are tailored to each child, focusing on play, creativity, and low-screen, one-on-one engagement. This option is ideal for families looking for consistency and comfort in a familiar environment.
Community Respite Programs
With our community respite programs, children are encouraged to connect, explore, and grow outside the home. Our respite providers accompany children on outings, offering behavioral support and assistance with daily living skills.
These programs help children experience the world around them, while giving families confidence that their child is supported in every setting.
Overnight Respite Care
Our overnight respite care services offer families extended relief while ensuring children follow consistent routines. From bedtime to morning transitions, our team provides compassionate supervision and safe, nurturing care.
This option is especially helpful for caregivers who need rest or time away overnight.
Sibling Respite & Family Support Services
We know family responsibilities extend beyond one child. That’s why we also provide sibling respite and family support services, giving parents peace of mind during appointments or busy days.
This support ensures siblings feel included, cared for, and engaged while parents focus on other priorities.
Urgent & Emergency Respite Care
Life doesn’t always go according to plan. Our urgent and emergency respite care services are available on short notice, providing families with reliable support when it’s needed most.
We’re here to help you navigate unexpected challenges with compassion and flexibility.
Expanding Services: Play, Music & Speech Therapy
Play Therapy
Encourages creativity, confidence, and emotional expression
Music Therapy
Builds communication, rhythm, and joy through music
Speech Therapy
Supports speech and language development in a fun, encouraging way
Lego-Based Therapy
Fosters teamwork, problem-solving, and connection through play
These innovative therapies are designed to help children thrive while giving families more comprehensive support.
Postpartum Support Services
"Because caring for a new baby with medical needs shouldn't mean caring alone."
Bringing home a newborn is one of life's most profound transitions — and when that baby has medical needs, a physical disability, or a neurological condition, the exhaustion, the vigilance, and the emotional weight can multiply overnight. At BrightStar Respite, we believe no parent should carry that load without support.
Our new Postpartum Support Program brings trained, compassionate overnight care directly into your home, so you can rest, heal, and reconnect with yourself — while your baby is safe, comforted, and cared for by someone who knows exactly what they're doing.
What We Do?
Our overnight support workers are there for the hours new parents need it most. Shifts run 8 to 12 hours overnight, giving you the uninterrupted rest that's essential to recovery — physically, mentally, and emotionally.
While you rest, our team takes care of:
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Feeding support and overnight feeds
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Diaper changes and hygiene care
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Medication management for babies with complex medical needs
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Light housekeeping and baby-related laundry
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Detailed documentation to keep your care team and physicians informed
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Any other essential caregiving tasks that keep your household running smoothly overnight
This isn't babysitting. It's clinically-informed, relationship-based care for families navigating something harder than the "normal" newborn stage.
Who This Program Is For?
This program is designed specifically for families with newborns who have:
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Medical needs requiring specialized monitoring or care
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Physical disabilities
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Neurological conditions
We work with parents and guardians who have access to funding through:
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Jordan's Principle
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Family Support for Children with Disabilities (FSCD)
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Alberta Blue Cross Extended Health Benefits
If you're unsure whether your family qualifies or how your funding stream applies, our Family Services team is here to walk you through it — no pressure, no jargon.
Who's on Our Team?
We know that inviting someone into your home during such a vulnerable time takes trust. That's why our postpartum team is made up of:
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Doulas
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Postpartum Nurses
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Health Care Aides
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Newborn Specialists
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Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs)
Every team member brings specialized training in infant care, and many bring lived clinical experience supporting babies with medical complexity. Before joining a family's care circle, our staff complete rigorous training including infant CPR and first aid, medication administration protocols, newborn health and safety monitoring, trauma-informed care practices, and BrightStar Respite's own clinical documentation and safety standards. We take the responsibility of caring for your baby, in your home, overnight, seriously — and our hiring, screening, and training process reflects that.
More Than a Program — A Commitment to Postpartum Wellbeing
The first weeks and months with a medically complex newborn can take a real toll on a parent's mental health. Sleep deprivation, hypervigilance, and isolation are known contributors to postpartum depression and anxiety — and the demands of caring for a baby with additional needs only heighten that risk.
Our overnight support isn't just about the baby. It's about protecting you — giving you the rest, breathing room, and reassurance you need to bond with your baby, recover from birth, and show up as the parent you want to be. Prevention and early support matter, and we built this program with that in mind.
Postpartum Support Services
Supporting babies. Restoring rest. Strengthening families.
Welcoming a new baby is life-changing. When your newborn also has medical needs, a physical disability, or a neurological condition, those first weeks and months can feel especially overwhelming.
At Bright Star Respite, our Postpartum Support Services provide compassionate, trained overnight care in the comfort of your own home — giving you the opportunity to sleep, recover, and recharge while knowing your baby is safe and supported.
Caring for Baby Means Caring for Parents, Too
Postpartum recovery requires rest.
When you're caring for a newborn with additional needs, uninterrupted sleep can feel almost impossible. Overnight support can provide parents and caregivers with valuable time to rest and recover while knowing their baby's needs are being attended to.
Our goal is not to replace you — it's to support you, so you have more energy for recovery, connection, and the moments that matter most with your baby.
Why Families Choose Bright Star Respite
BrightStar Respite is a CARF Three-Year Accredited, CFS-licensed organization with over 15 years of combined experience in family-centred care.
Accreditation means our programs, policies, and staff training are held to a recognized international standard of quality and safety — so families can trust that what happens in their home meets the same rigor as what happens in a clinical setting.
But standards are only part of the story. What guides us every day is simple: we meet families where they are at. No two babies, no two homes, and no two parents are the same, and our care reflects that. Whether you're navigating a new diagnosis, adjusting to life with a medically complex infant, or simply trying to survive the fourth trimester, we tailor our support to your family's real, everyday needs.
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You Don't Have to Navigate the Fourth Trimester Alone.
Whether you're preparing to bring your baby home, adjusting to a new diagnosis, managing complex medical needs, or simply realizing that your family needs more support overnight, BrightStar Respite is here to help.
Ready to Learn More?
You don't have to do this alone. Reach out to our Family Services team to find out if the Postpartum Support Program is right for your family, and how your funding — Jordan's Principle, FSCD, or Blue Cross — can help make it happen.
Contact Us: 780-606-0067