Does PPEC Include Free Transportation? Pickup & Drop-off Explained for Hollywood and Broward County Families

PPEC transportation in Broward County is one of the most practical benefits Florida Medicaid offers — and one of the least understood. If the daily drive is the reason your medically complex child isn't getting the skilled nursing care they already qualify for, this guide walks you through exactly how free pickup and drop-off works at Peek A Boo Pediatric Care in Hollywood.

Yes — PPEC Transportation in Broward County Is a Covered Medicaid Benefit

Let's answer the question that keeps working parents up at night first: yes. Transportation to and from a PPEC center is a covered benefit under Florida Medicaid — not an add-on, not a "premium tier," not something that shows up on a bill later. If your child is approved to attend a Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care center like Peek A Boo, the ride comes with it. Eligible families pay $0, with no copays.

There's a simple reason Medicaid covers the ride: PPEC is medical care, not babysitting. PPEC centers are licensed by Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), and children attend on a physician's prescription — typically written as a 180-day referral — with prior authorization from their Medicaid plan. When the state authorizes up to 12 hours a day of skilled nursing care for your child, getting them to that care safely is treated as part of the care itself. And because PPEC can be combined with school attendance and private duty nursing hours, the ride is often what stitches a child's whole week together.

That coverage matters enormously in practice. Between I-95 traffic, work shifts that start before sunrise, and siblings who need to get to school, the daily drive is often the single barrier between a medically complex child and the nursing care their doctor has already prescribed. If you're still confirming your child's coverage, start with our guide to Florida Medicaid PPEC eligibility — then come back, because the transportation piece is the easy part.

How Door-to-Door Pickup Works at Peek A Boo

"Door-to-door" means exactly that: we come to your door in the morning, and we bring your child back to it in the afternoon. No transfer points, no ride-share apps, no asking a child with a feeding pump to manage a bus stop.

Here's what a typical transport day looks like for a Peek A Boo family:

• A set pickup window. During enrollment, we build your child's route around your address and their prescribed hours, so mornings become predictable instead of chaotic.
• Trained staff at your door. Our transport team helps your child from the doorway into the vehicle — transfers, positioning, and buckling included — so you're never wrestling a wheelchair down the walkway alone.
• Equipment loaded and secured. Wheelchairs are locked into place, and medical equipment like feeding pumps, oxygen, and monitors travels secured beside your child.
• A nurse hand-off on arrival. At our center at 7777 Davie Road Extension, your child is received by the nursing team, who start the day's care plan, feeds, and therapies.
• The same care in reverse. In the afternoon, our team brings your child home and hands them back to you — not to an empty porch.

Because Peek A Boo sits right on the Hollywood, Davie, and Pembroke Pines border, routes stay short enough that transport is a calm part of the day rather than a marathon before it starts. You'll also hear how the day went at drop-off — feeds, therapies, naps — instead of piecing it together from a note in a backpack.

Communities We Serve Across Broward County

PPEC transportation in Broward County isn't a fixed bus map — routes are built family by family. Communities we serve across Broward and northern Miami-Dade include:

• Hollywood — our home base, minutes from the center.
• Davie — directly on our doorstep along Davie Road Extension.
• Pembroke Pines — a short hop west for many of our families.
• Miramar — western Broward families ride with us daily.
• West Park and Dania Beach — quick routes east and south of the center.
• Nearby Broward and North Miami-Dade communities — many surrounding neighborhoods fall within our routes.

Rides to Medical Appointments — The Benefit Most Parents Don't Know About

Here's the part that surprises even experienced PPEC families: PPEC transportation in Broward County isn't limited to the daily commute. At Peek A Boo, transportation to medical appointments is part of our service too — and it's the piece almost nobody mentions during hospital discharge.

If your child follows up with pulmonology, GI, cardiology, or neurology, you know how fast those appointments stack up — and how fast the missed work hours stack up with them. Many of our families' specialists sit along the Memorial Regional and Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital corridor, just minutes from our center, which makes appointment-day logistics far more manageable. Talk with our team about your child's appointment schedule and we'll help coordinate the ride.

There's a second way Peek A Boo shrinks your appointment calendar: much of the therapy that would otherwise mean a separate trip happens under our roof. Physical, occupational, speech, and respiratory therapy are built into your child's day here, alongside nursing care, ABA, and a nutritional food program — so fewer afternoons are spent in waiting rooms.

Safety During Transport: Trachs, Oxygen, Seizure Risk, and Wheelchairs

Most parents' real question isn't about cost or scheduling. It's this: "Who is with my child on that vehicle, and do they know what they're doing?" Fair question — here's how we approach it.

• Wheelchair and seat securement. Every wheelchair is locked down and every child is properly secured before the vehicle moves — no exceptions, no shortcuts on a running-late morning.
• Medical equipment stays with your child. Oxygen, feeding pumps, and monitors ride secured and within reach, exactly as they're needed.
• Staff trained for medically complex kids. Our transport team is trained to assist children with trachs, oxygen, seizure risk, and mobility equipment — including safe transfers and knowing when something isn't right.
• Your child's information travels with them. Care needs and emergency contacts accompany every ride, so nothing depends on memory.
• A direct line to the nursing team. Transport staff stay connected to the center, where our nurses — and a physician on call — are ready the moment your child arrives.

During enrollment, tell us everything about your child's transport needs: seizure history, oxygen use, secretion management, how they handle transitions. The more our team knows before the first pickup, the smoother that first morning goes — for your child and for you. If your child has an emergency plan — for seizures, for example — review it with our nursing team during enrollment so everyone who cares for your child, including transport staff, knows exactly what it says.

How to Set Up PPEC Transportation in Broward County During Enrollment

Transportation gets arranged as part of enrollment — not after it — so your child's first day at Peek A Boo can include their first pickup. Here's the path from "interested" to "on the route":

• 1. Confirm your child qualifies. PPEC serves children from birth through age 20 with medically complex needs — trachs and vents, G-tubes and NG-tubes, seizure disorders, cerebral palsy, NICU graduates, and cardiac conditions. Start with our who qualifies page.
• 2. Get the physician's prescription. Your pediatrician or specialist writes a PPEC prescription, typically as a 180-day referral. Our team helps with the paperwork.
• 3. Complete Medicaid prior authorization. We work directly with your Medicaid or managed-care plan on the authorization that covers your child's care — and the ride.
• 4. Tour the center. Meet the nurses, see the therapy rooms, and ask the hard questions. Bring your child — they're the real decision-maker.
• 5. Set up your route. Share your address, your family's schedule, and your child's equipment list, and we'll build the pickup plan before day one.

Our staff is bilingual in English and Spanish, so every step of enrollment — and every morning hand-off at your door — happens in the language your family is most comfortable in. Reach out through our contact page or call (954) 932-3600. Setting up PPEC transportation in Broward County starts with one conversation, and our team handles the logistics from there.

Frequently asked questions