CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA — Winthrop University and Atrium Health — including its innovation district, The Pearl, and its Levine Children’s Hospital — are collaborating to expand educational opportunities for long-term pediatric patients while preparing future educators to teach in diverse, nontraditional settings.
Hands‑on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) lessons for hospitalized K–12 students will be taught by Winthrop Teaching Fellows and Levine Children’s Hospital educators — supported by curriculum, professional development and materials from The Pearl’s K–12 STEM Lab program.
“Too often, these learners are overlooked, not intentionally, but because their needs fall outside the typical structures of K–12 education,” said Dr. April Mustian, special education director who is leading the initiative at Winthrop. “Future teachers must understand the experiences of children with chronic illnesses, and this collaboration allows our students to learn with empathy, skill and purpose.”
Hands-on Learning for Both Children and Future Teachers
Through this initiative, Winthrop students will:
*Provide individualized and small-group enrichment aligned with each child’s readiness, energy and interests.
*Adapt STEM activities using innovative instructional methods to meet the needs of patients with diverse medical and developmental profiles.
*Collaborate with hospital and innovation district educators to ensure continuity and engagement.
*Participate in professional development training on hospital protocols and effective strategies for supporting learners experiencing medical trauma, chronic illness or extended hospitalization through engagement with STEM.
“Winthrop is recognized as a leader in educator preparation, and this partnership reflects the innovative and caring environment we cultivate for our future teachers,” said Edward Serna, president of Winthrop University. “This collaboration highlights our commitment to preparing educators who make meaningful, lasting impacts on all students, especially those who need thoughtful, responsive teaching the most.”
Winthrop and K-12 students alike will benefit from STEM efforts at The Pearl. Director of Districts Education & Innovation Partnerships, Dr. Richard Cox, Jr., said planned experiences for pediatric patients include robotics, material science, biomedical engineering concepts, neuroscience, artificial intelligence and resilience-building activities that center around hope, curiosity and healing.
“There is no program quite like this,” Cox noted. “The Pearl exists to make these collaborations possible, connecting educator preparation and STEM innovation in ways that challenge and inspire. Through our partnership, we’re bringing forward-thinking, hands-on learning directly to children who deserve every opportunity to stay curious.”
Rooted in Innovation
The initiative builds on Levine Children’s Hospital’s existing school program, which currently reaches a portion of the nearly 200 children hospitalized each day. Many rely solely on school-provided assignments without the instructional support needed to stay on track, especially those with chronic or complex conditions. This collaboration aims to close that gap.
“By focusing on each patient’s academic needs, we strengthen the sense of normalcy, hope and continuity that learning provides during hospitalization,” said Joni Hildreth, educational coordinator at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital. “This partnership expands that mission — bringing fresh energy, innovative teaching support and compassionate educators into the lives of our patients and families at Levine Children’s.”
Designed with scalability in mind, this newly developed initiative extends its impact across more children, classrooms and hospital units. It establishes a framework for how universities, hospitals and innovation districts can work together to better support medically vulnerable students within the Carolinas and beyond.
