Shining Star School
Children who are hospitalized or live with a chronic illness benefit from keeping as much of their regular routines as possible, and attending school and doing homework are a healthy part of those routines. SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital opened the Shining Star School in 2013 to promote the general academic, social and emotional development and overall well-being of children in the hospital. More than 1,000 children each year benefit from the dedication of three full-time teachers, including a special education teacher, and more than two dozen volunteers.
Research has shown that regular school attendance while hospitalized, and quick school re-entry once a child is discharged, both play a key role in helping them cope with their illness and recovery. Keeping up with schoolwork helps to maintain a sense of normalcy, which in turn reduces stress and anxiety for both children and their parents.
Shining Star School Program
- Assists patients in staying caught up with regular schoolwork and learning goals
- Maintains patients’ connection with life outside the hospital (normalcy)
- Keeps patients connected to their school
- Supports patients’ transition back to the community
How Our Hospital School Works
Determine the Individual Needs of Patients
- Meet patients where they are academically
- Gather schoolwork
- Communicate with the school and family
- Identify any special education needs
Focus on Instruction
- Implement regular teachers’ lessons
- Create lessons
- Provide a variety of teaching and learning tools
- The magic of a hospital classroom
Advocacy and Transition Back to School
- Advocate for patients
- Collaborate with patients’ schools
- Modifications and accommodations
- Prevent retention
- Transition back to school
- Collaborate with medical team, school, and family to assist with 504 plans, IEPs and Homebound Education
- Instruct/support parents with learning how to advocate for their children
Impact of the Shining Star School
- 1,041 patients taught
- 421 patients received advocacy
- 3,748 books given away
- 5 NICU teen moms and dads received academic support
- 106 high-needs patients served by new special education teacher
- Collaborate with more than 100 school districts including public, private, and charter
How Your Support Will Help
By supporting the Shining Star School, you are helping us make a difference in the lives of children in the following ways:
Staff Resources. The Shining Star School relies heavily on donor support. Gifts to the Shining Star School enable the hospital to maintain the current staffing and to expand in the future to serve even more children.
Operational Support. Additional support allows the school to purchase the necessary equipment, books, curricula and other teaching tools necessary to provide a fun and stimulating learning environment for children of all ages and with a wide variety of needs.
Staff Education. The Shining Star School teachers benefit from attending annual conferences and other learning opportunities in order to network with other teachers and stay informed about changes in their field.
