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During the summer of 2005, a Non-public school program that had been providing services for children at Saratoga Sub-Acute Children's Hospital closed its doors and returned to Southern California. This left twenty-four school aged children at the hospital with only minimal bedside instruction.

At the request of the local school districts, Joe Fimiani, then Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, and Mary-Anne Bosward, Director of Special Education, began investigating how the County Office could provide services to these children whose respiratory, orthopedic or other medical conditions make full hospital care unnecessary but home care difficult. These children include children with severe congenital disabilities, disabilities resulting from traumatic accidents, premature birth or progressive diseases.

After much work, in November of that year, a Special Day Class was opened on the site serving fifteen students in the classroom and three bedside. Four students were identified as being able to be transported outside to County Office classes.

Since this beginning the program has grown to provide educational services to all thirty-six children residing in the hospital. An Educational Liaison position was developed to meld the medical issues with the educational process and ensure an appropriate program for each child. This liaison sits in on the hospital team meetings giving an educational perspective to the care plan for the children, coordinates with the local school districts and plans the educational program.

Children six months to three years old receive services from a private infant program. The needs of students ages three through twenty-two are determined by the Individual Education Plan (IEP) Team, which include the special education teacher, the parents, the physician, the case manager, educational liaison and others who have interest in the child's needs.

Most students are seen in the on site Special Day Class. Many of these students are on ventilators, have tracheostomies and other intensive medical needs. The hospital provides a nurse in the classroom during the hours children are present.

A credentialed special education teacher and four classroom aides currently serve twenty-one students. The students attend school for one to five hours, five day a week, depending on their stamina and care needs. Classroom activities include sensory stimulation, art, cooking, computer use, communication and age appropriate curriculum, all adapted to meet each student's physical and cognitive abilities. For those students who are unable to be moved from their hospital room, educational services are provided bedside.

A visitor to this program on any given day will witness students working on traditional preschool activities, coma recovery techniques, single switch cause and effect computer programs and high school algebra all within our two room school. Each child's individual educational goals are addressed.

As children become more medically stable and prepare for their return home, many begin to attend school at county programs off site. For some children who have spent their entire lives in a hospital setting this venture out is an amazing thing to watch.

The parents of these children live throughout northern California, therefore home communications are an important part of the children's day. Photo journals, email and regular letters home help families keep in touch with their children and their educational progress.

In 2006 a duplicate program was created at the other pediatric sub-acute hospital in Santa Clara County, The Children's Recovery Center. This twenty-six bed facility in Campbell now houses a Special Day Class, Early Intervention Program and three children attend County Office Classes off site. Through a California Children's Hospital Consortium information on these programs has circulated and several southern California sub-acute hospitals have contacted us for details of our program.

The turnover at the hospitals, although not as fast as we would like, is continuous and over ninety children were served through the IEP process and educational last year. In the past three years the children residing in the two pediatric sub-acute hospitals in Santa Clara County have gone from a two times weekly story time to an extensive, comprehensive, educational program. Students have accomplished things such as studying for and earning their American citizenship, transitioning after a spinal cord injury, to semi-independent housing, joining a Brownie Troop, beginning to communicate following a serious accident and laughing out loud to the antics of our classroom pet. Each of these in its own way are a remarkable achievement. The hospital staff, through observation of experienced special education specialists, have begun to infuse an educational component into their daily activities.

While the children served in our programs have various levels of cognitive awareness and functioning, parents, who must leave their children in a hospital setting, are relieved to know that a team of qualified caring educational professionals are providing a program that will help the children maximize their potential and enjoy their day.

Providing these unique programs in collaboration with the hospitals has allowed every child residing in these facilities to be ensured the free and appropriate public education to which all children are entitled.

Date last updated: February 6, 2008