COCONUT CREEK, Fla. — Jayce Kelly of Coconut Creek will be three years old in a couple of weeks.
He’s grasped the attention of many nationwide, currently in sixth place in the running to become the toddler of the year.
Jayce’s mom, Jocelyn Kelly, dad Lyle and older brother Micah all believe Jayce, who was born with Down syndrome, has what it takes to swoop the nation.
“Obviously there’s a developmental delay. Makings sure were giving him the support that he needs. Helping him learn, helping him thrive,” said Jocelyn Kelly. “We’ve got a couple days left in the finals before the semifinals. There are opportunities to vote for him every day. Vote for free.”
Kelly says her reason for signing him up for the contest is to shed light on inclusivity.
That’s something she says her friends are helping her understand as she prepares for Jayce to start school in a couple of years.
“That inclusion is important to us,” she said. “We’ve had friends leave the state. One friend in particular, their daughter couldn’t be included in classrooms anywhere in their county and they decided Tennessee was the better option. And we’ve heard that from a lot of people, families doing the same thing.”
Vaccinations are another concern.
Last week, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo said he’s working with the governor to get rid of vaccine mandates for all children, leaving the choice up to parents.
Kelly says her kids are vaccinated.
“Jayce is in a really good health position, but there are a lot of children with Down syndrome or children with disabilities who are not in the position, and being in a classroom with a population of not vaccinated people can be a really dangerous thing for some people,” she said.
Kelly knows she has a few years before Jayce crosses that bridge, so in the meantime, her focus is the contest.
“I think that seeing him in a competition or on any field or in your classroom, lunch table on your playground, on your block, you stop and say hello, you offer to teach him for to ride a bike. That’s what inclusion looks like,” she said.
Voting ends for this round of the competition on Sunday at midnight.
The competition will end the first week of October.
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