Children’s Wisconsin Hospital-Fox Valley, Neenah, 2021 Community Benefit

Educational Achievement Partnership Program at Children’s Wisconsin

A child’s educational achievement is a key component of their overall health and well-being. Children with chronic illness may experience delayed milestones that impact school performance in areas of learning, language development, motor skills, attention and behavior, and social-emotional functioning. These differences often do not self-correct and require early intervention and school support. There are often few opportunities for collaboration among educational and medical practitioners leading to communication gaps and missed opportunities for necessary coordination of supports.
In 2015, Children’s Wisconsin established the Educational Achievement Partnership Program (EAPP) to bridge the gap in care coordination between the hospital and schools. With experienced educators at the center of a multidisciplinary care team, the patient’s educational needs are assessed, and the care team works to implement interventions with educational partners in the school settings. These individualized plans help ensure families, clinical providers and education staff can support and advocate for each child’s unique needs.
To date, more than 700 patients served by the EAPP have reported new or improved education plans, school-based health and safety guidance, school attendance, mental and behavioral health and overall family well-being and quality of life. Patients served through EAPP average six fewer hospital utilizations per patient per year resulting in tremendous health care cost savings. The important care provided through the EAPP is not covered by insurance and is provided free of charge for families to help advocate alongside them and untangle the complex layers of health disparities and educational gaps.