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AECMN Mission

The Association for the Education of Children with Medical Needs links communities of professional educators, parents, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and patients. We support the delivery of quality education services to children with medical needs and those who care about them. 

AECMN Mission Statement

  • Initiate collaboration among professionals
  • Provide increased awareness of the challenges of children with medical needs
  • Develop guidelines for teachers in hospital and homebound settings
  • Increase collaboration among hospital, community, and homebound teachers
  • Work toward equity in providing homebound services at the national level
  • Conduct research on positive outcomes for patients participating in hospital school programs
  • Link with other national organizations with similar focus e.g. NACHRI (National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions), CEC (Council for Exceptional Children), NEA (National Education Association

Bi-Laws of the AECMN Organization

AECMN Bylaws (revised Oct 2011)

 

AECMN History

Prior to November of 2000, the Association for the Care of Children’s Health (ACCH) provided a forum for hospital teachers to meet and network. During the ACCH conferences, networking sessions were included for various professionals to break-off in discussion or networking groups. At the 1999 conference in Long Beach, CA, the teachers who attended the networking session expressed the desire to have an independent organization of hospital teachers.

ACCH was disbanded in 2000. The teachers at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta met and decided to hold a conference the following November. The title of the conference was Together Educators and Children Help Each Other Reach Success (T.E.A.C.H.E.R.S.). The energy among the teacher at that conference was exciting. It was here that the groundwork for a national organization took shape.

October 2001, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center hosted a second conference. News about the formation of a national organization for hospital teachers spread and 100 teachers from the United States and New Zealand attended. During the conference drafts of a Mission and Vision statement were developed. The attendees were clear that they wanted to work toward the formation of a national organization for hospital teachers.

November 2002, the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center hosted the third annual conference. During this conference it was decided that the organization should represent hospital and homebound teachers. A title for the organization was chosen: The Association for the Education of Children with Medical Needs (AECMN). A board of directors was elected and the goals for the year included:

  1. Filing legal documents to form a non-profit organization.
  2. Developing the organization’s bylaws.

October 2003, the annual conference was held in St. Petersburg, FL. The bylaws were approved and AECMN officially became an organization. A board consisting of six members was elected.

To date, the organization:

  1. Became and official 501c3 non-profit organization
  2. Completed a Business Plan that will guide the organization over the next several years
  3. Offers an informational website
  4. Continues to publish a quarterly newsletter which are mailed to members and posted on the website
  5. Initiated a list serve in order that members may network
  6. Drafted an informational publication about teaching practices in the hospital setting
  7. Holds annual conferences for professional development
  • 2004: Stanford Children’s Hospital, Palo Alto, CA
  • 2005: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
  • 2006: St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital, Boise, ID
  • 2007: Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
  • 2008: Las Vegas, NV
  • 2009: Fairfax Innova, Fairfax, VA
  • 2010: Rady Children’s Hospital and Health Center, San Diego, CA
  • 2011: Children’s Hospital of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA