Brooklyn, NY, May 13, 2025 — All patients of Maimonides Children’s Hospital will now have access to computer tablets for the entire duration of their inpatient stay, made possible by a $57,000 grant from the Bungie Foundation through their Little Lights Program partnership.

The tablets will be installed in every pediatric patient room, with the goal of helping patients and families manage and reduce the distress and fear many children experience during hospitalization. This will allow patients to play games, read books, watch movies, listen to music, communicate with loved ones, and access educational resources and activities from their hospital room. The Little Lights Program provides all remote device management, ensuring security of patient information while meeting all regulatory requirements, including HIPAA, by utilizing device restrictions, enforcing security policies, and clearing all data between patients.

“Maimonides Children’s Hospital is thrilled to join the Little Lights Program, which provides age-appropriate entertainment for pediatric patients across the country,” said Dr. Jeffrey Avner, Chair of Pediatrics at Maimonides Children’s Hospital. “These offerings distract patients from anxiety and reduce their stress level, thereby allowing healthcare workers to focus more on the child’s needs and improve the overall quality of care. As an essential provider to Brooklyn’s 600,000 children, Maimonides is grateful to provide extra comfort for our pediatric patients.”

“As a Child Life Specialist, I see every day how important it is for children to have access to comfort, distraction, and connection during their hospital stay,” said Alexis Ellis, Manager of Patient and Family Support, Maimonides Children’s Hospital. “Thanks to the Bungie Foundation’s Little Lights Program, we can now offer every pediatric patient the opportunity to play, learn, and stay connected with loved ones right from their room. These tablets will help transform the hospital experience for our patients and families.”

“We are so thrilled to bring Maimonides Health on board as a Little Lights partner,” said Christine Edwards, Director of The Bungie Foundation. “Their dedication to providing pediatric patients with the best-in-class care, including social and emotional wellbeing, is both inspiring and life-saving. We share a common goal of caring for the whole child by replacing anxiety, stress, and pain with hope, joy, and connection. With the average length of stay for a pediatric patient being around 4 ½ days, the 50 tablets deployed through Little Lights have the ability to improve the lives of over 4,000 children annually – incredible! Thank you, Maimonides, for inviting us to be a part of your patients’ care journey, and thank you to the Bungie player community for your endless compassion and generosity. Your commitment to our mission is what makes these partnerships possible!”

The Little Lights Program grant will also allow Maimonides to obtain tablets for its pediatric outpatient clinics.

Maimonides’ Child Life, Creative Arts, and Education Program offers a variety of services to support the emotional, social, and developmental needs of children experiencing stress due to hospitalization, and help children, adolescents, and families cope with the difficulties of serious illness and inpatient treatment.

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About The Bungie Foundation

The Bungie Foundation is the philanthropic arm of game developer Bungie, a US-registered 501(c)3 organization. Founded in 2010, its mission is to build and empower our community to improve the well-being of children, uplift the rights of all individuals and communities, and provide aid to global communities in times of need. The Little Lights program serves children facing illness, disability, or injury by providing a digital experience that supports their emotional and social needs, bringing them closer to the joy and normalcy they deserve. To date, the Bungie Foundation has brought the Little Lights program to 20 hospitals, clinics, and specialty schools globally.