We provide compassionate, professional care for children who have a life-limiting illness

When a child has a life-limiting illness, our specialized pediatric hospice care team is here to help. The Montgomery Kids (Mkids) team is a dedicated, interdisciplinary group of trained professionals who work with children, their families, and their doctors to provide coordinated care.

Our goal is to enhance each child’s quality of life in alignment with what matters most to them and their family. The MKids team empowers families to be active participants in decisions about care and treatment. We provide resources and collaborate closely to develop a personalized plan that honors their values, goals, and needs delivered alongside other treatments. Care takes place at home, where children are surrounded by comfort, familiarity, and love.

MKids is led by a physician and registered nurses, and offers care that supports a child’s physical, emotional, developmental, and spiritual needs. Services may include music therapy and trained volunteers who provide help around the house, spend time with siblings, or read to the child. The team also supports families through the challenges of loss, including grief counseling after a child’s death. [Ver en Español]

The care for your child includes...

  • Home visits available 7 days/week.
  • Expertise in pediatric pain and symptom management and end of life care for infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.
  • Proactive approach to symptom control using the least invasive methods possible.
  • Interdisciplinary Pediatric Team – physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers, chaplains, bereavement counselors, and volunteers
  • Focus on care of child and family together
  • Caregiver education in the care and treatment of your child by the pediatric team.
  • Medical equipment, oxygen, and comfort medications in the home as needed
  • On-Call nurse and physician available 24 hours a day for questions, concerns or crisis intervention.
  • Telehealth services
  • Individualized goal-setting and care plan for each patient & family.
  • Interpreter services for non-English speaking family members.
  • Social workers providing emotional and practical support, problem-solving, and referral to resources
  • Coordination of spiritual support by our MKids chaplain/spiritual care counselor – through active listening, rituals, prayers, conversations, and communication with community clergy (when requested)
  • Continuity of care if your child is hospitalized by communicating with hospital health care team.
  • Psychosocial support provided at school (when requested) for your child’s peers & teachers.
  • Grief and bereavement support

“Montgomery Kids home hospice services have allowed us to get children with serious illness out of the hospital and [back] home, where they most want to be. The support of the interdisciplinary team from Montgomery Kids helps to promote comfort and optimize quality of life for children with serious illness and their families. They truly do help to make every day the best it possibly can be for every child, regardless of their circumstances. It is wonderful to have such an outstanding community partner!”

Deborah Lafond, DNP, PPCNP-BC, CPON, CHPPN, FPCN, FAAN Former Clinical Director, PANDA Palliative Care Team Palliative Care Educator Emeritus Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC