Kids with cancer still need school! Our roadmaps will help you navigate the process of schooling during and after treatment.
Preschoolers and Toddlers Roadmap
Your child has been diagnosed with cancer. Cancer and its treatments can affect a child’s development, including ways s/he grows, learns, feels, or thinks. Sometimes this can create challenges later in school.
Even though your child may be too young for school now, acting now can make things easier later. Your child may be able to get help from state programs like “Early Intervention.”
This Roadmap provides you with information that may help you do things now that can help with school later.
View Preschoolers and Toddlers Roadmap
Diagnosis Roadmap
Your child has just been diagnosed with cancer and may be starting treatment. You and your family are making a lot of adjustments and absorbing a lot of new information.
School may be the last thing on your mind, but there are a few things to get started on now that will help your child adjust and prepare you for important steps down the line.
Use this roadmap to help you ask important questions, be sure to record information to refer back to later.
Home and Hospital Teaching Roadmap
Some of the shock has probably worn off now and you are starting think about what your new routines are going to look like.
Even if your child wasn’t a huge fan of studying, s/he has probably asked “what about school?”
This is a good sign! After all, school is about academic learning and social interactions; we want your child to get back to these important tasks as soon as possible.
View Home and Hospital Teaching Roadmap
Return to School Part-Time Roadmap
Even though your child is still in treatment, more days may feel back to normal.
You know the basic schedule of treatment visits and have a pretty good idea of how your child is tolerating treatment. This is probably a good time for your child to return to school part-time.
Although this may sound a little scary, it is an important milestone and a reason to celebrate
View Return to School Part-Time Roadmap
Return to School Full-Time Roadmap
Congratulations! Your child has completed therapy or s/he may be in maintenance therapy.
So far, your child’s medical issues have been your priority. They will still be important. After cancer treatment, some children learn differently from how they did before.
If this is true for your child, you may need to be very involved in their schooling to be sure s/he is able to get the additional school supports that they have a legal right to receive.
View Return to School Full-Time Roadmap
Survivorship Roadmap
The year after treatment finishes can be full of unexpected and difficult challenges. The focus on getting through treatment is replaced with a life-long shift to a new normal, and that new normal can keep changing.
It is possible that you and your child may discover new learning differences especially in the higher grades, including high school or college. School assignments may get more challenging, social situations can be more complex, and these can present new issues.
There are many things that you, your health care team, your school, and your child can do to make things better.