There are many pieces to becoming a Child Life Specialist, including an undergraduate degree, specific child life related coursework, list of verified experiences, and other qualifications. Use the navigation below to explore each aspect of preparing to become a Child Life Specialist.
- What is a Child Life Specialist?
They work closely with children and families in medical settings and serve as emotional supports as well as helping to develop family coping strategies
Most have a background in child development, psychology and counseling and are able to explain medical terminology to kids in preparation for procedures
Their main goal is to decrease stress and anxiety in the hospital setting
Mostly in hospitals with large pediatric departments and some can travel to schools to debrief staff about a child’s illness and their time at the hospital
Find more information here: https://www.childlife.org/practice/why-child-life
- Becoming a Child Life Specialist
Eligibility Requirement to take the certification exam:
Obtain a baccalaureate degree (in any field of study)
Must complete 10 college-level courses in child life of a related department/subject
At least one child life course must be taught by a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS)
ALL of the following areas of study must be included in the course and verified by the instructor:
Child Life Documents
Scope of Practice
Family-Centered Care
Impact of illness, injury and health care on patients/families
Therapeutic play
Preparation
Institutions offering Child Life courses can be found here: https://www.childlife.org/certification/students/child-life-academic-programsThe remaining 9 courses must fall into one of three categories
Any course offered by the college/university department below:Child Life
Child Development
Family Development
Human Development (HDE)
Family Dynamics
Psychology (PSC)
Counseling
Sociology (SOC)
Therapeutic Recreation
Expressive Therapies (only courses covering the therapeutic applications of play, art, will be accepted; fine arts courses are NOT accepted
Courses in the following departments will be considered case-by-case:
Nursing
Social Work
Recreation Administration
Education (Methods courses for specific subjects, student-teaching, are NOT accepted)
Courses on these topics will be accepted regardless of college department
Death and Dying
Ethics (PHI 15-Bioethics)
Medical Terminology
Anatomy and Physiology (EXB106/CHA101 and NPB101/110C)
Cultural Diversity (Those pertaining to a single culture does not fall into this category)
Here are the 2019 Academic Eligibility Requirements.- Experiences
Must complete a minimum of 480 hours of child life clinical experience through an internship or fellowship under direct supervision of a CCLS
There is an Health Related Experience (HRE) through the Career Center (CC). However you will need to do it for 12 quarters! -not too reasonable!
It does not count for college credit, however you do get Transcript Notation for an HRE. So, check again with the institution for eligibility
More information for the eligibility requirements can be found: http://www.childlife.org/docs/default-source/certification/candidate-manual.pdf?sfvrsn=10
- Applying to be a Child Life Specialist
Once you have completed the eligibility requirements, you will create an account here: https://www.childlife.org/
Pay a non-refundable fee for the Eligibility Assessment and then you will immediately enter in your eligibility information including coursework
Once eligibility has been established, your status will be made “candidate” and you can proceed to pay a separate exam fee to register for an exam administration.
The exam:
Child Life Professional Certification Examination is an object test that covers knowledge, understanding and practical application of professional child life theory
Comprised of 150 multiple choice questions over four hours
Those with passing scores become certified for a five-year period
You will need to recertify (https://www.childlife.org/certification/recertification)
More information here: https://www.childlife.org/certification/the-exam
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More questions? Check out our FAQ page or schedule an appointment with an advisor!