February: Making Math Meaningful  Financial analysts Colton Jones and Kaiyi Feng led the way in February with a lesson on money and math. Colton taught the history of currency and invited the students to create their own. Kaiyi followed up with a custom-designed math bingo game—an immediate crowd favorite.

March: A Day of Discovery The team joined the classroom for a field trip to the Cincinnati Museum Center, where students explored the Children’s Museum and the Museum of Natural History & Science. “It was so rewarding to see them engage with real-world examples of things we’ve taught in class,” said Lauren.

April: Safety in Focus Angela Krebs stepped in to share a healthcare-themed lesson on pharmacy processes and medication safety—bridging the world of patient care and childhood curiosity.

May: Reflecting and Celebrating As the year wrapped up, Claire Manning and Emily Hacker created a Jeopardy-style review game that had the students cheering and competing to recall what they’d learned. The team handed out certificates and received handwritten thank-you cards in return—small notes with a big emotional impact.

“Each month we’d meet to brainstorm, and someone would volunteer to take the lead,” said Lauren. “It helped our newer analysts practice speaking to groups, and it brought together people who don’t normally work side by side. We had to be creative and think about how to make something fun and accessible for fourth graders—but it ended up stretching and strengthening our skills too.”

But perhaps the greatest recognition came from the students and class teacher themselves. The teacher, who will teach 5th grade next year, asked to keep the same team of business mentors. “The kids were thrilled to hear we’d be returning,” said Stephanie. “That’s all the prize we need.”

“Our first year with Adopt A Class was more than just a series of monthly visits—it was a powerful reminder of how meaningful connection can be,” Lauren reflected. “Every time we walked into that classroom and saw the kids’ excitement, it was clear that even small efforts can make a big impact. It was incredible to see how quickly we built meaningful connections. It truly felt like we were able to make a lasting difference in such a short amount of time.”

And as soon as families arrive, they are taken into a private exam room.

The team uses different tools, like speakers to play favorite songs or sound machines for background noises, to create a relaxing environment in an otherwise stressful space. Any specific sensory item that is helpful or any notes for the staff on how to best help the patient are added to their chart.

“The staff is what makes the clinics as successful as they are,” said Katie. “There has never been a challenge presented to this team that hasn’t been met tenfold. This is a collaborative clinic, and they know their opinions matter. To take time away from their own families on a Saturday morning to ensure our patients are getting what they need—it’s incredible to see.”

Since the first sensory-friendly clinic started in early 2024—which included nurses doing ear exams from the floor and dancing during the appointments—word has spread, and Katie and her team found themselves needing to expand their hours.

“We’re going from one per quarter to one every other month,” Katie said. “The feedback we’ve been getting from families is really humbling. To be able to provide a safe, comfortable, healthy environment for any and every patient should be the standard—no matter the circumstances. That’s what it comes down to, and that’s what we have set out to answer.

"Katie Holtman and her team are amazing. The sensory clinic environment that she has created is so beneficial to so many families. It's one of a kind and has helped my daughter tremendously. On our first visit over a year ago, my daughter could be heard screaming in the parking lot. During this visit, my daughter walked in and was smiling and laughing the entire time. Katie and her team have built many positive relationships with my daughter to break her cycle of medical anxiety and begin to trust medical professionals again." Parent of a 4-year-old Mason ENT Patient

The need for improvement was first identified through an Intermediate Improvement Science Series (I2S2) project aimed at increasing armband compliance.

“Patient ID bands are critical to ensure accurate identification so that every child receives the right medications, interventions and care,” Allison explained. “But input from staff and the Patient Family Advisory Council revealed that armbands are cited as uncomfortable and often inconvenient. This got me thinking 'how might we' create a better product for our patients and staff to use."

In response, and with the support of Innovation Ventures, the team formed a partnership with the Live Well Collaborative—a multidisciplinary innovation hub comprised of University of Cincinnati students and faculty in design, business, engineering and healthcare. Collaboration for this specific project is reinforced with help and expertise from Cincinnati Children’s Innovation Ventures.

This summer, Live Well Collaborative conducted 72 hours of on-site observations across 17 units, including patient admissions. They engaged in more than 150 interactions with staff and families to better understand experiences with our current system for patient identification and to visualize the extent of the problem. After stakeholders shared their knowledge about our culture, our systems and the armband itself, the Live Well team fine-tuned the basic design requirements. They are now in the ideation phase, prototyping solutions using human-centered design principles. This means leaning on considerations that prioritize comfort, accessibility, integration—and even a bit of fun.

Students from UC’s design school will come back to our health system in August to introduce staff and patients to prototypes for additional input and testing. Each idea will be evaluated based on how desirable it is to users and how feasible it is to implement. No identifiable patient data will be collected at any point in the process.

“Collaborating with the students and staff at Live Well Collaborative has been a truly rewarding experience,” said team member Katy Bedinghaus, practice consultant for the Center for Professional Excellence (CPE). “Their enthusiasm, creativity and commitment to innovation has been evident throughout the project. They’ve shown a deep understanding of the importance of designing a solution that not only meets the needs of our patients but also supports our employees in delivering the best care possible.”