If your child will be missing school due to a lengthy stay, keeping up with school work can become a concern. Children’s Nebraska’s Educational Support service team is here to ensure that learning continues when your child cannot physically attend school. The Children’s Educational Support Services team is comprised of certified teachers who are passionate about meeting the educational needs of your child. Support is personalized to meet the individual needs of your child and his learning.
“Children’s, as an organization, believes in treating the whole child, and school is an important part of every child’s life. Educational needs as well as social-emotional health are foundational, and we want to make sure that’s interrupted as little as possible.”
—Peggy Smith, Hospital Teacher/School Liaison, Children’s Nebraska
Educational Support: Mission
In keeping with Children’s philosophy in treatment of the whole child, we recognize that stimulation of the mind and healing of the body go hand-in-hand. The goal of our Educational Support program is to help patients who miss a significant amount of school, remain academically connected.
Educational Support: Three Interwoven Roles
- Communication
- Support
- Advocacy
We are here to advocate for you and your child during their treatment; we can act as a liaison between you and your child’s school team in order to provide your child with the best support possible.
Services We Offer
Our primary focus is supporting children in grades K-12. Educational Support services at Children’s may include:
- Contacting your child’s school to coordinate school support services
- Requesting technological support (such as a school issued laptop or tablet)
- Advocating for a reduced workload, modifications to coursework, extra time to complete work,
and/or online learning (as appropriate) - Returning completed course work by scanning, e-mailing, or faxing
- Assisting students with school work
- Proctoring quizzes and tests
- Encouraging and facilitating interaction between your child, teachers, and classmates (through Skype or FaceTime)
- Requesting Homebound Instruction (HBI)
- Obtaining medical waivers for standardized testing
- Advocating for and participating in creation of IEP and/or 504 plans to assist with your child’s specific educational needs
“Often families can be so inundated with information and overwhelmed by the emotional aspect of their child’s diagnosis. Our goal as hospital teachers is to be able to take academic concerns off their plate in terms of arranging contact with school and advocating for the unique needs of each child.”
—Margaret McCawley, Hospital Teacher/School Liaison, Children’s Nebraska
What To Do Next
