School coordination during cancer care

Our school coordinator helps you and your child with school options during cancer treatment and afterward. While classwork might seem hard to manage during treatment, researchers have found that it can help your child’s emotional state.

Whatever decision you and your child make for schooling, our coordinator helps with transitions and communication. We work with schools on learning plans and accommodations, setting your child up to meet their academic goals.

Importance of schooling during cancer treatment

If your child is able to do some schoolwork, they may feel a greater sense of normalcy as they cope with treatment. Your family has several options during and after treatment, including:

• Continuing to attend class
• Skipping periods of school and returning after treatment ends
• Getting support from a tutor
• Switching to homeschooling temporarily or permanently

Determine how to manage school during treatment and afterward involves big decisions. Your child’s health and other factors play a key part in that consideration. Our school coordinator helps you evaluate your child’s situation throughout their treatment and recovery.

Challenges in keeping up with school

Our care team asks you and your child about physical or emotional issues that cause problems with schooling. During treatment and after, children may experience issues with:

• Low energy
• Feelings of stress about schoolwork
• Problems with memory and learning
• Changes in vision and hearing
• Physical disabilities

Our Child Life specialist and other team members help you and your child develop a plan to tackle these challenges. Our school coordinator speaks with school administration and teachers and provides them with resources to also prepare fellow classmates.

How we support your child’s school success

After diagnosis or treatment begins, you meet with our school coordinator as soon as possible. They help your family make decisions throughout treatment and decide how to approach returning to school after cancer treatment. Steps include:

• Beginning discussions early: The sooner everyone starts thinking about educational needs, the better. Our school coordinator helps you determine when the time is right.
• Reviewing all options: There are many ways to handle schoolwork. We help you assess your child’s situation and make the right decision for your family.
• Creating a flexible plan: We set up a plan early and check in often.
• Working directly with schools: School staff don’t always know how to support your child, communicate with their classmates or meet legal requirements for accommodations. Our school coordinators meet personally with schools, to discuss these topics and more.

Managing late side effects from cancer and how they may impact learning

Our school coordinator and P.O.S.T. program help your family understand how cancer and its treatment might continue to affect learning. They help you watch for:

• Challenges with certain subjects
• Problems concentrating and learning
• Other issues that make it hard to meet school goals

We work closely with schools, meeting with staff personally as needed. We make sure you receive any evaluations you need, and that the school makes changes, or accommodations, to help you succeed.