Happy Kids Heal Faster

At Starlight, we know that happy kids heal faster. 

A child’s mental and emotional health impacts their physical health and healing process —which is why all five Starlight programs are focused on delivering happiness. 

But how do we know our Starlight programs actually impact a child’s happiness? 

We’ve established 10 criteria that we constantly use to evaluate our programs and ensure that we are delivering as much happiness as possible to help kids’ heal. These include: 

• Play: Engages children through activities to help them learn, grow, and express themselves in an unfamiliar environment.

• Comfort: Offers physical, mental, or emotional relief to help alleviate feelings of distress and anxiety.

• Normalization: Provides activities kids enjoy in everyday life to help make an unfamiliar, scary place feel safe and fun.

• Entertainment: Provides children relief and distraction from stressful situations with enjoyable, amusing, educational, and stimulating content.

• Socialization: Provides a sense of community and belonging while reducing boredom and isolation.

Starlight Gaming normalizes the hospital experience by allowing seriously ill kids to play video games with content that is enjoyable and stimulating.

Starlight Hospital Gowns give children a way to express themselves and find comfort from negative emotions, like anxiety. The gowns’ fun, colorful designs include some of their favorite characters, which help kids express themselves and create bonding moments with hospital staff. Made specially with ties that go down the side instead of the back, Starlight Hospital Gowns offer better privacy and easier access for hospital staff during medical procedures.

Starlight Hero Wagons allow kids to leave their hospital room and explore the hospital environment. By fostering interactions with hospital staff and fellow patients, Starlight Hero Wagons support their mental health through play by helping kids fight feelings of loneliness. These wagons are also specially designed with an IV pole attachment so patients can easily enjoy a wagon ride. 

Starlight Toy Deliveries provide toys, games, books, and arts and crafts to give kids a sense of relief through something they love most – play! We know how lonely and scary a hospital stay can be, so Toy Deliveries also give kids a chance to build connections with peers while processing their emotions. 

Starlight Virtual Reality gives them immersive experiences and activities to help them relax during difficult medical procedures and manage pain.

Our mission is to deliver happiness to seriously ill kids and their families because we know that happy kids heal faster.  

When we ensure that all hospitalized children experience the transformative power of a Starlight program, they don’t just cope; they thrive. By aiding their overall mental and emotional wellbeing, fear of treatments and hospitals diminish, trauma and emotional distress decreases, and disruptions to their everyday routines are mitigated. 

With Starlight programs, kids can navigate the challenges of hospitalization with courage and confidence, helping them find their inner strength and a sense of empowerment.