All Kids Academy Program Launches to Nurture Hospitalized Childrens' Educational Potentials

JACKSON, Tenn. - Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, the University of Memphis, and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center are all working together to connect hospitalized children to educational resources.

All Kids Academy launched in January, and the three institutions are kicking off the new program for patients from birth to five years old, student teachers, and the children’s families.

“A mother… I just spoke with a literacy group here at Le Bonheur and there’s a mother in that group with a child who has a child with special needs, and she was ecstatic to hear about this."

Dr. Terri Finkel, a Le Bonheur and UTHSC professor and associate chair of the Department of Pediatrics, was inspired to help bring All Kids Academy to west Tennessee after her involvement in PedsAcademy at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando, Florida.

She noticed the positive impact the program had on the children there and wants those same opportunities for the children hospitalized here.

“These kids are in the hospital for so long, we need to show everybody how we can support them in their educational progress along the way, as Dr. Finkel often says: 'We are supporting their education in sickness and in health.'"

Dr. Toni Whitaker, a Le Bonheur and UTHSC professor and division chief of developmental pediatrics, believes every child deserves the pathway to achieving his or her educational goals.

The University of Memphis College of Professional and Liberal Studies is also excited to give its students hands-on training and learning in hospital and health care settings.

“For her to have this experience in a hospital setting which is where she eventually does want to work, it really brought it home to her, what all of these things that we’ve been talking about in all of these courses and how it actually applies.”

Sandy Guntharp, a U of M assistant clinical professor in child development and family studies, reports one of her students is thankful for her personal experience student teaching at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital.