School is an important part of every child’s life, and that holds true even for those who are hospitalized. The School Program at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children not only helps children continue to achieve their academic goals, but also helps them cope with the stress of hospitalization by allowing them to participate in familiar and “normal” school activities, often with peers.
Certified teachers collaborate with the student’s classroom and/or homebound teacher and other involved health care professionals to provide appropriate educational services. Educational sessions may be provided at the child’s bedside or in a classroom setting, depending on what is medically and cognitively appropriate.
For children who are inpatients of the Rehabilitation Service unit or participants of the Comprehensive Rehabilitation Outpatient Program, academic educational services are provided in the Rehabilitation Classroom at regularly scheduled times.
Participants in the School Program include children with chronic illnesses, traumatic brain injuries, or surgical, physical, or cognitive rehabilitation needs. Hospital policy mandates that all school-age inpatients with a length of stay of 10 days or longer (as well as certain selected outpatients) are offered academic educational services. Rehabilitation patients will be eligible for services from the first day of their admission.
Children between the ages of 3 years (who are receiving educational services prior to enrolling in school) and 21 years (who have an IEP) with a greater than 10-day stay are also eligible to receive appropriate educational services.
Any member of the patient care team may refer a child to the School Program. Readiness for the program will be determined jointly by the health care team and the program teachers. Once the educational session has begun, the teacher is responsible for determining the duration of the session, based on educational and behavioral criteria and also the welfare of the patient.
Teachers and parents will actively seek assignments from the child’s home school district so that the child can remain current with class work. Teachers will also develop lesson plans appropriate to the academic level of each child. Because the ultimate goal is always a smooth transition back to the classroom, teachers stay in close contact with the child’s home school at all times.
Bedside teaching is available Monday through Friday, following the calendar of the Brandywine School District. The Rehabilitation Classroom is open throughout the year.
If you have any questions, please call our School Program office at (302) 651-4960.
