Children's Hospice Day – Feb. 10, 2027

Expected Children's Hospice Day Deals

Children’s Hospice Day focuses on raising awareness and securing vital funding rather than commercial deals. Many organizations, such as Deutscher Kinderhospizverein, partner with corporate sponsors to host fundraising events, donation drives, and awareness campaigns throughout February. Look for opportunities to contribute through direct donations, volunteering, or participating in charity runs and walks. Companies like DM-Drogerie Markt and REWE in Germany have previously supported children’s hospices through in-store collection boxes or product-linked donations. We encourage checking the websites of local children’s hospices and national associations for specific ways to support their invaluable work this year.

History of Children's Hospice Day

From ancient times, children were cared for at home, usually by the female members of the family. In 1802, the first hospital for children in Paris opened, the Hôpital des Enfants Malades. This was the first time that children were formally acknowledged as having health conditions and needs that were different from adults. From France, the concept of separate pediatric hospitals was adopted by Germany, Italy, Poland, Austria, Russia, and England.

In 1893, Madame Henry, Midwife-in-Chief of the Port Royale program for sick newborns, recognized that babies required special care and set up separate units for their treatment. This was the first attempt at neonatal care. In the 20th century, children’s rights were laid down in two important human rights declarations in 1924 and 1948 by the United Nations. They said that children were entitled to special care and consideration.

Almost every country recognizes the inalienable rights of every child, including the right to the best possible health care. In the 1960s, Dr. Cicely Saunders and Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross pioneered and promoted the development of the modern hospice movement. They both recognized a critically ill patient’s holistic needs. The first hospices were opened with the help of pediatricians. Together, Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Dr. Saunders, and Florence Wald created the environment for children’s hospice care that has developed in the United States and Europe. The decade of the 1970s became known as the “pivot of change” when the children’s hospice movement began to develop as an entity separate from the general hospice movement.

How Businesses Can Celebrate Children's Hospice Day