Internship Program Information
The child life internship program provides intense working experience in child life. We place an emphasis on candidates with a strong academic background in child development.
Please note: You will not be notified upon receipt of your application. Use mail/shipping options if you require delivery confirmation.
Required Academic Background
Senior in college or completed bachelor's or master's degree.
Suggested Majors (may include but are not exclusive to)
- Child life
- Child development
- Human growth and development
- Child psychology
Required Experience
- Supervised involvement with healthy children (minimum of 100 hours).
- Supervised involvement with children in the health care setting (minimum of 100 hours).
- Solid understanding of child development through course work and experience.
- Introductory understanding of/exposure to child life through readings, course work and experience.
Expectations of Student
- Commitment of one (1) full semester (14 weeks), 40 hours/week.
- Flexible schedule to include some weekends and evenings.
- Provide on-site supervisor with list of expectations, requirements, evaluation from university and maintain contact with university supervisor.
- Required readings, weekly journal, and final project.
Child Life Department Responsibilities
- Child life supervisor who will communicate with university supervisor.
- Weekly supervision meetings.
- Exposure to a variety of ages and diagnostic groups.
- Multi-disciplinary setting.
- Flexibility to tailor internship experience to student's needs and interests.
- Normalizing and therapeutically-oriented interactions with patients and families.
- Opportunities for continuing education.
Recommendations
- We strongly suggest that students do not have an outside job during this internship.
- We recommend that applicants contact the Child Life Council to gain more information about the child life profession.
