The Nicklaus Children's Hospital School Program strives to provide guidance and advocacy to all patients and families through collaboration with community partners including school districts, tutoring programs, and curriculum providers to achieve academic success during and after treatment.
What is the role of a Hospital School Program Liaison?
Hospital School Program Liaisons serve as a link between the patient's medical team and the child's school and family. The Hospital School Program Liaisons will work closely with the patient's school to:
- Help meet the educational needs of school-aged patients during and after treatment.
- Provide school staff and students with information about the patient's diagnosis to ease the transition out of the traditional school setting and then back to the classroom after treatment ends.
Hospital School Program Liaisons:
- Support communication between the patient's medical and educational teams to optimize the transition back to home and school life.
- Strive to improve the patient's quality of education.
- Guide the patient and family through the school's reentry process.
- Facilitate access to educational services.
- Support the patient's continued involvement in daily school lessons, peer interactions, etc.
- Minimize future educational challenges related to medical absences, the child's diagnosis and effects of treatment.
School Reentry
The Hospital School Program assists with back-to-school reentry when needed. This can include attending IEP/504 meetings at the school site. In special cases, a School Program Liaison partnered with a Certified Child Life Specialist, may visit the patient's school to speak with school personnel or the students to educate them on the returning patient's diagnosis, condition, limitations, etc.