Hospice Caring has a number of children's bereavement programs.



The Good Grief Club

"Is there anyone here like me?"  
-- High School Student

Hospice Caring, Inc., in partnership with Montgomery County elementary, middle and high schools, sponsors the Good Grief Club for students who are grieving the death of a loved one.  The Club offers students a safe and comfortable environment in which to explore their emotions and issues related to death.

The seven-week program gathers students weekly in their home schools to explore their feelings, to learn that their grief is normal, and to learn coping skills.  In the 2006-07 school year, 34 Good Grief Club groups served 225 students, with over 1340 children served since the program was established in 1997.

The Good Grief Club

• is conducted in the familiar setting of the student’s school

• meets during the school day each week for seven weeks

• is facilitated by a trained Hospice Caring volunteer and a school guidance counselor

• is specifically designed to help students realize that their feelings are normal

• is free of charge

In 2005, Hospice Caring, Inc. received a Montgomery County Board of Education Award for Distinguished Service to Public Education in recognition of its Good Grief Club program. 

These awards were established in 1997 to recognize and show appreciation to individuals, groups and organizations that have made exemplary contributions to public education in Montgomery County.

For more information about the Good Grief Club, contact Hospice Caring at 301-869-4673.

Camp Caring

Camp Caring is an annual weekend bereavement camp for children ages 8 to 12 who have experienced the death of a loved one.  The children are paired with trained adult Big Buddies to explore their feelings through age-appropriate crafts, activities, discussions and one-on-one time.  Throughout the weekend, emphasis is placed on helping the children to understand what grief is, discussing normal responses to death, and learning ways to express and cope with their grief.

Camp Caring is free of charge and is made possible through a very generous community. Children may be referred by parents, guardians, advocates or school counselors. Hospice Caring is particularly proud of and thankful for the cooperative relationship with Montgomery County Public School counselors.

Children's Bereavement Brochure