Ello will help hospitals offer school programs for chronically ill children
There is much talk about learning loss among children during the pandemic and the long-term consequences, but the same problem exists for chronically ill children who spend a lot of time in the hospital: A report by the American Association of Pediatrics found that students with multiple disabilities miss an average of 28.9 days of school for each hospital stay.
While hospitals develop their own programs, eligibility depends on factors such as the state in which they are located: in Michigan, the minimum time to provide services is only 5 days, while in Texas it is 28 days. In addition, school programs developed by hospitals also have different requirements, as some begin school services on the first day of hospitalization, while others require an inpatient hospital stay of more than 10 days.
To help hospitals deliver these programs to their college-age patients, Ello, developer of an AI reading app, announced a donation to two hospitals: MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and Children’s National Hospital.
The initiative provides these hospitals with iPads and hundreds of children’s books for young children. They also receive free access to the Ello app and offer literacy activities to support the children on their learning journey.
Founded in 2019, Ello acts as a reading buddy for children. It listens to them read aloud, helps them with difficult words and mistakes, and then motivates them with points and prizes. Ello books are customized to the child’s reading level and interests. Ello books are also written using reading science, meaning they are “decodable,” which the company describes as “a style of writing proven to be best for children learning to read.”
Ello now serves tens of thousands of children and was named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2024. The company offers a fully digital package, but parents can also add a monthly physical book set.
Dr. Elizabeth Adams, a board-certified child psychologist and co-founder of Ello, will meet with families and representatives from the hospital’s Child Life Services team.
“Early in my career in hospitals, I noticed this learning loss in young patients, especially in oncology and other specialties where children are away from their peers and their school environment for long periods of time,” she said in a statement.
“I am delighted that Ello can be part of a solution for these patients and their families. It provides them with the literacy support they need during their hospital stay, while also giving them fun and engaging books and activities to break up their very long days.”
(Image source: ello.com)
