Covenant Children's Hospital in Lubbock, Texas, has opened a hospital-based school for long-term patients to stay on track with their education.
The program will provide patients with educational support and enrichment, offering access to tutoring and STEM learning. A classroom on the third floor of the facility will serve as the centralized learning space, according to an Aug. 21 news release shared with Becker's. The hospital, part of Renton, Wash.-based Providence, said it has a full-time certified teacher working with patients and families in need of educational support.
Up to 500 patients may benefit from the program annually, a spokesperson for Covenant Children's confirmed to Becker's.
"This classroom allows education to be a part of our patient's comprehensive medical care," Covenant Children's CEO Amy Thompson, MD, said in the release. "To keep kids on track, we have to keep them in school and around their peers. This hospital-based school gives them the best chance to do that."
The program will also be available to patients' siblings and high school-age new mothers. It was supported by nearly $2 million in donations from local residents and businesses.