Accommodations and Family Resources
Hospital Housing
Please note that both the Ronald McDonald House and the Children’s House require a referral from your child’s health care team. Subsequent visits may be scheduled by the family.
Families may not self-refer for hospital housing. Please have a health care professional/someone from your child’s medical team fill out an online referral on your behalf. Eligible families have a child under 18 years old receiving inpatient or outpatient treatment at The Johns Hopkins Hospital or Johns Hopkins Children's Center and live at least 25 miles away from the hospital. (Please know background checks are also required.) Considerations for housing include severity of illness, length of stay and distance from home.
Believe in Tomorrow Children’s House
Phone: 410-614-2560
The Believe in Tomorrow Children’s House at Johns Hopkins is excited to announce that we are beginning efforts to build a brand-new, state-of-the-art Children’s House!
Please Note: Our 1915 McElderry St. location is currently closed, but we are proud to partner with The Residence Inn-Johns Hopkins Medical Campus to provide a home away from home to our Believe In Tomorrow families while the new Children’s House is being constructed. The hotel is just two blocks and a four-minute walk away from the hospital. Although the rooms are located at the hotel, families staying are guests of The Children’s House, and our staff will handle all aspects of scheduling the stay from referral through checkout.
All families will have a private room with kitchenette, a king bed, sofa bed (queen) and private bathroom. Hotel amenities include a fitness center, business center and full hot/buffet breakfast daily. We are also proud to offer access to The Children’s House Lounge, which includes a common space to dine, play, work and relax. We offer volunteer-provided meals several days a week and complimentary valet parking for one car per family. Please note that there are a limited number of rooms available to families who meet the criteria.
We hope the environment and services we provide can make this difficult time a little easier. While there is no cost to stay at The Children's House, donations of any amount are always greatly appreciated so we can provide our services for future families.
The Believe In Tomorrow National Children’s Foundation also offers respite housing, allowing families with critically ill children the opportunity to get away, relax and reconnect together in the midst of a child’s treatment and recovery. Learn more about respite eligibility and locations.
Ronald McDonald House
Phone: 410-528-1010 (ext. 0)
The Ronald McDonald House provides a temporary home away from home for families of seriously ill children. Over the past two decades, Maryland’s Ronald McDonald House in Baltimore has been home to more than 36,000 families, with approximately half of those children treated at the Children’s Center.
The Ronald McDonald House serves as a temporary residence near the hospital where family members can sleep, eat, relax and find support from other families in similar situations. A hospital social worker, unit nurse or doctor must refer the family. Families are welcome to stay while their child is inpatient or receiving three or more outpatient visits per week. Rooms costing $15 per night are assigned on a priority basis, and reservations are confirmed three days before arrival. Regular check-in hours are from 2 to 7 p.m., with late check-ins available. Parking for one car per family is included in the stay. The Ronald McDonald House shuttle service is available Monday through Friday, and the Johns Hopkins shuttle is available on weekends.
Local Self-Pay Hotel
If you do not meet the requirements for special housing, please know there is a list of nearby self-pay hotels that can provide you a safe and comfortable stay close to the hospital. For more information, visit the Hotels and Housing page and search for results near The Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Staying with Your Child
For inpatient stays overnight, up to two adult care partners or parents of any age may stay bedside, space permitting. For more details on visitor policies, refer to our visitation page.
Patient/Family Spaces
Children's and Family Resource Library
The Grace Rea Garrett Children’s Library on Bloomberg 3 provides a collection of books for inpatient children of all ages as well as print resources for their parents. The library also hosts special events such as a free weekly family lunch and chair massages for parents. We welcome visitors into the library Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Playrooms and Activity Rooms
In these supervised settings, children play and interact with Child Life specialists, parents, siblings, friends and other patients. Please speak with your child’s nurse about any precautions, limitations or other pertinent health information before using a playroom. Please see your child life specialist regarding hours of operation.
Universal Changing Table
Designed for use for people over 40 pounds, the changing table is located on the third floor of the Bloomberg Building.
Cooley Fitness and Recreation Center
The Denton A. Cooley Center includes strength training and aerobic exercise programs. It is available to families at $5 per day, $15 per week or $36 per month. Family members who wish to use the Cooley Center must request a letter from the family care coordinator or social worker verifying their child is hospitalized. The center is located on campus at 1620 McElderry St., and is open Mon - Fri, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sat - Sun, 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. More information.
Phone: 410-955-2513
Outdoor Spaces
Sara’s Garden and the Meditation Garden are found in the outdoor courtyard. They are accessible through the food court area off the arcade/main level of the Zayed Tower.
Other Amenities
For other amenities such as the cashier, mail and postal office and ATMs, please visit The Johns Hopkins Hospital website for more information.
