How Education Empowers RMH-NY Kids in Their Fight Against Cancer

At Ronald McDonald House New York, education doesn’t pause for pediatric cancer. It adapts. It flexes and flows with each child’s individual needs.

Whether students are preparing for high school Regentsexams, learning to decode their first words, or adjusting to a new classroom mid-treatment, education here is approached the same way RMH-NY approaches everything else: with compassionate, family-centered care, and an eye toward equity. It’s an ecosystem powered by love, logistics, and a few well-placed flashcards.

While eachchild’s story at Ronald McDonald House New York may begin with a diagnosis, what unfolds inside the House is a much more joyful truth for these kids: educational opportunity, growth resilience, and deeply personal victories shaped by holistic care—and the unwavering support of the educators and families who stand beside them.

Let’s take a closer look at how educational services work within the House and the NYCDepartment of Education(DOE).

Nadia Leonard, a member of the Programs department at RMH-NY, has been with the House for nine years. She now manages all education and school enrollment support, helping pediatric patients stay connected to their education while they undergo medical treatment.

“I help with enrolling the children into New York City public schools if that’s what the family chooses,” Nadia explained. That includes navigating school registration, obtaining immunization records, and handling “any sort of paperwork that is needed for enrollment,” as well as connecting families with remote learning and home instruction opportunities.

Children’s ongoing education is a high priority for Nadia to ensure that not one of the kids in the House even thinks about falling behind their classmates at home. Nadia laughed,“My first question for them after saying:Hello, how are you? How can I help you?Then…Has your child been medically cleared by a doctor in order for them to go to school?”

For students unable to attend school due to illness or treatment, RMH-NY works directly with the Department of Education’s Home Instruction Program. These are the one-on-one, in-person lessons that happen right inside the House—often daily—thanks to visiting DOE instructors.

And for those needing a little extra academic support.That’s where the volunteer tutors step in.

“We have volunteers that help tutor students—whether they’re in a New York City school or doing home instruction,” Nadia said. It’s a blend of professionals, retired teachers, and seasoned volunteers like Nancy, who come weekly to provide customized support.

The goal is always simple: “How can we make school easier for the child right now?”

When one writes that Stefanie Weiss was a deeply invested DOE home instruction teacher, that does not begin to describe Stefanie’s level of investment in her kids at RMH-NY. Stefanie teaches English Language Arts and Social Studies among other subjects to children of all ages staying at the House, including a young teenager undergoing treatment forcancer who recently passed two Regents exams while under Stefanie’s care.

“My name is Stefanie Weiss. I work for the New York City Department of Education. This was my second year working at Ronald McDonald House (New York),” she said. “Most of us go into the home [for instruction], but RMH is the only outside organization I’ve worked with consistently.”

Stefanie works closely with another DOE teacher, Sean, who teaches math and science. Together, they provide high school students with a full curriculum, helping them keep pace with their peers—even in the middle of cancer treatment.

When describing her student’s academic stamina, Stefanie lit up: “She has too much stamina—an unbelievable amount—for a child who’s getting treatment for cancer. I would sometimes work with her for two and a half hours.”

The young woman that Stefanie taught didn’t just complete the Regents curriculum in history—she absorbed it. Stefanie used educational videos to help buildcritical thinking and analysis skills. “At the end, after the test, she asked me, ‘Can we watch some of the videos again?’ I was shocked. You know, I was really happy.”

The New York State Regents exams are no joke. They demand complex thinking, writing, and subject mastery. For a student navigating both chemotherapy and the Civil War timeline, this can be particularly challenging. Then, place a big helping of English as a second language on her shoulders to throw in the mix and you can see the mountain this amazing young woman had to climb to pass those tests while simultaneously beating back cancer on the daily. 

“The Regents is set up with a question that demands critical thinking from the reading, and then a question that demands you to know the history,” Stefanie explained. “It’s not really all about teaching the material. And it never, ever should be.”

She went on: “It was really hard, but I really feel like she got the critical thinking part… She pretty much mastered how to do a multiple choice and how to do a short answer. Essay writing—we’re still working on that.”

The young woman passed her exams. But more importantly, she gained the confidence and tools to keep pushing forward.

For younger students like Mavis, educational progress is equally remarkable. Mavis is a first grader reading at a second-grade level, but Stefanie noticed she lacked phonics fundamentals. “She memorizes the words—she doesn’t sound them out. But when she gets older, and she has to decode words she’s never seen, she’ll need those skills.”

With help from Mavis’s mom, Judene, Stefanie implemented a full phonics curriculum tailored to Mavis’ learning style. “I print out materials and I do phonics, and mom continues doing phonics because she wants to teach her.”

This parent-teacher partnership is at the heart of family–centered care. “Sometimes she loves what I teach her,” Stefanie laughed, “but when Judene reinforces it, it’s different. She loves me, but I’m not her mother. So sometimes she’s just like, ‘Whatever, I don’t like this.’ Then her mother will do it with her, and she’ll come back and love it.”

And Mavis? She bounces back from every challenge with joy and humor. Stefanie calls her “a ham,” while staff at the House collectively agree that Mavis is a model in the making as much as she loves to be in front of the camera.She poses for a picture like nobody’s business.

For all the academic milestones children at RMH-NY achieve, there’s another powerful layer beneath it: the emotional bonds they build with their tutors.

Stefanie, who forms long-term, close relationships with her students, understands the depth of connection required to truly support them. “When you have an intimate relationship with your teacher because there’s only two of you, you talk about social-emotional stuff a lot,” she said. “One student puts a lot of pressure on herself. We talk about that, too.”

At RMH-NY, teaching is never just about homework help or test prep. It’s about recognizing the full experience of a child navigating illness—listening, encouraging, and adapting to meet each child’s unique needs. Our tutors serve as educators, confidants, and steady sources of support through some of life’s most uncertain moments.

“There’s joy in this job,” Stefanie said. “But it doesn’t come from the pay. It comes from knowing that you’re doing something for these people.”

It’s a testament to the many hats our tutors wear—and the lasting impact they have.

The education experience at Ronald McDonald House New York isn’t delivered by any one person or department—it’s a web of collaboration.

DOE instructors like Stefanie and Sean provide academic structure. Nadia helps families navigate enrollment and school placement. Volunteers support tutoring and test preparations. And RMH-NY staff members like Hannah, Jackie, and Kenia ensure logistics—from scheduling to transportation—go off without a hitch.

“I’m one of those people,” Stefanie said. “I just hustle and do whatever I need to do.”

And that hustle has real outcomes. Students thrive. Families feel supported. And donors see the return on their investment in health equity and education.

In the quiet corners of the House—at a round table in a library, or on the living room couch with a stack of worksheets—big things are happening. Children are learning. Families are collaborating. Teachers are advocating.

Our educators are not only instructors—they’re mentors, motivators, and trusted companions. They adapt, listen, cheer kids on, and help them thrive academically and emotionally through one of the most difficult chapters of their lives.

It’s a smart, compassionate part of RMH-NY’s mission to address health disparities by keeping learning alive and personalized—even in the face of serious illness. And it honors the truth we hear again and again from educators like Stefanie:

“When kids are stimulated, when they continue to grow, it does nothing but help with the treatment.”

Let’s help them grow—with all the support they deserve.

Help us keep learning and education at the forefront of a child’s journey to healing.