Hospital School Program

At Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters, schoolteachers provide year-round educational services for patients. The teachers are certified in regular and special education with infant, preschool, elementary and secondary certifications. They work with physicians, nurses, patients and home schools to help children continue their studies with as little interruption in curriculum as possible. Teachers assist children who are technology dependent, have chronic illnesses and/or need physical rehabilitation. The Hospital School Program is a state-operated program sponsored and funded by the Virginia Department of Education in cooperation with Norfolk Public Schools.

What is the Hospital School?

The Hospital School consists of administrators, support staff, teachers and educational consultants. Most teachers work with inpatients. The educational consultants work in selected outpatient clinics. Both are concerned with child growth, development and the impact of medical needs. The Hospital School offers a continuum of educational services from the outset of hospitalization to discharge and, if necessary, to the outpatient clinics.

  • Hospital teachers instruct patients at bedside or in one of the three fully equipped classrooms located in the hospital.
  • Educational consultants are teachers who serve as the liaison between the outpatient medical team and the patient's home school.

The following outpatient clinics at CHKD have educational consultants available:

  • Asthma
  • CARE
  • Cystic Fibrosis
  • Developmental
  • Diabetes
  • Head Injury
  • Hearing Impairment
  • Lead
  • Neurology
  • Neuro-Oncology
  • Neonatal Follow-Up
  • Oncology
  • Primary Care
  • Rehabilitation
  • Renal
  • Rheumatology
  • Sickle Cell
  • Spina Bifida

What services does the Hospital School provide?

All Hospital School services are free. However, parent permission and medical staff permission are required before any services are initiated. Once permission has been granted, the following services can be provided:

  • Communication: Hospital school staff communicates with the patient's home school to notify the school of the of the patient's admission to CHKD, enrollment in the school program, discharge from the hospital, grades, assignments and credits earned while the patient was enrolled in the hospital school. In addition, the staff gathers the patient's school history, makes recommendations to the home school, makes referrals for homebound instruction, IDEA, 504 plan, and assists home schools in making accommodations and/or modifications necessary for the patient's return to school.
  • Screening: Patients are screened in the areas of development and/or academic achievement. The results of screening procedures help the Hospital School staff to identify patients with developmental delays and academic weaknesses which may require additional follow-up services.
  • Evaluation: With due regard to parental rights and safeguards, formal assessments may be conducted when a formal delineation of a patient's developmental ranges and educational strengths and weaknesses are needed.
  • Instruction: Teachers plan stimulating and fun lessons for patients based upon assignments provided by the home school. Teachers work with patients individually or in small groups. If indicated, Individualized Educational Programs (I.E.P.) are amended. With medical staff approval, patients may spend from 30 minutes to 5 1/2 hours per day in instruction. Infant and preschool interventions are provided for patients who are developmentally delayed or who are at risk for developmental delay.
  • Technology: Our classrooms have state-of-the-art computers and accessories, audio-visual equipment, assistive technology, books, games and toys that have been selected to meet the low vitality and high interest needs of patients.
  • Referral: Phone calls, school visits and letters facilitate referrals to the patient's home school. A referral serves to apprise the school of the patient's needs upon return to school. Infants and preschoolers who need developmental intervention are referred to the appropriate local education agency.
  • Transition: Hospital teachers confer with educational consultants regarding patients seen in selected clinics as well as those with repeated admissions to the hospital. The transition from school to hospital and vice versa dictates joint planning and coordination of the educational services by teachers and consultants. The nature of the consultant's role allows for the necessary monitoring and follow-up that is more applicable in the outpatient clinic.
  • Accommodations: Hospital School staff works with the medical staff to outline the school accommodations and modifications necessitated by the patient's medical condition. Specific accommodations, medications to be administered at school, precautions, medical side effects and instructions for an emergency plan, if indicated, are noted on the student health information packet that is provided for the patient's home school.

How can physicians help?

Physicians can initiate the educational process by notifying the Hospital School staff when a patient is ready to begin educational and developmental intervention. They can also provide information on the patient's medical condition to facilitate educational discharge planning.

How can parents or guardians help?

Parents/guardians can bring books and/or assignments for planned admissions. A copy of the patient's Individualized Educational Program (I.E.P.) can assist in planning instruction for students with exceptional needs. Parents/guardians may assist hospital teachers by sharing information about the child's educational needs.

How can the home school help?

The home school personnel can assist the Hospital School with the planning of an appropriate educational program for the patient. They can provide information about the child's academic abilities, current assignments and specific areas of concern. Cards, phone calls, e-mails or videotapes from the home school also help support the patient and family. Children with health impairments benefit from collaborative planning efforts between school personnel and the Hospital School Program.

How can I get additional information or talk to someone about the program?

You may call the school director's office at (757) 668-7061.