Helping kids be kids

Programs to help kids be kids in hospital require $600,000 annually and rely 100% on donor funding to operate.

If funding goals are achieved, additional dollars will be allocated to the area of greatest need.

Being a kid in hospital can be tough, but important programs run by members of the Child Life team help provide purposeful and fun opportunities for distraction and play to help kids while in hospital. Child Life Programs include:

CHTV

Children’s Hospital TV is a closed-circuit television station that reaches all patient rooms. Every weekday kids can watch the Good Day Show, hosted by Noname, the hardest working sock-puppet in town. The Good Day show features interactive games, activities, shout-outs to patients, and special guests – giving kids something to look forward to. Age-appropriate shows and movies are also available throughout the day on CHTV.

Playroom

Play is the universal language for children. It is how they communicate, master skills, socialize, explore their environment, and is a large piece of their development. The main playroom is filled with toys, games, electronics, craft/art supplies, and mini hospital environments where dolls can practice for tests like MRIs before their kids have them.

Music therapy

The music therapy program can bring a sense of calm and comfort to children and families in hospital and provides opportunities for healthy expression through singing, playing instruments, and movement to the music. The gentle strumming of the guitar paired with a soothing voice is just what the doctor ordered.

Library program

Reading books to children of all ages helps them learn. It’s never too early to start! At the Children’s Hospital, we feel that reading, singing, playing and sharing stories and rhymes are important for a child’s development. Providing one-on-one reading time with children in hospital can bring a sense of normalcy and fun to a child. Books act as a great diversion or distraction from the hospital experience that often produces stress and anxiety.

As part of the Library program, library staff support inpatients and families in hospital by providing one-on-one and group reading sessions.

The Library program also offers an inpatient lending library, the Book Corner, that offers books and DVDs for kids of all ages to borrow. There are books available in several different languages. A book/movie cart goes around the units several times a week to bring the library to inpatients. Book and movie baskets are also available on each inpatient unit so the library can be available evenings and weekends.

Library staff also support ongoing work with the hospital team on the development, creation and distribution of patient education information.