child life education programs
Start your journey toward a career in child life with real-world learning in a supportive environment at Dayton Children’s.
build your future in child life
Child life specialists use play, creativity and communication to help children manage stress, understand procedures and build confidence in the healthcare setting. They ensure each child’s emotional and developmental needs are supported before, during and after medical care.
Dayton Children’s offers students meaningful opportunities to gain clinical experience, develop professional child life skills and work alongside a compassionate pediatric team in a supportive learning environment.
related links
Learn more about child life at Dayton Children’s and the impact this program makes everyday for patients and their families through these resources.
child life internship
At Dayton Children’s, our child life internship offers students an in-depth, 600+ hour learning experience that meets the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) standards for certification eligibility. Interns gain valuable, real-world experience supporting children and families through medical experiences while learning from experienced child life specialists.
child life internship curriculum
Over the course of the 16 week internship, the following is reflective of what the internship typically looks like, but may be subject to change. Clinical experience opportunities vary per term and are determined by supervisor availability and other department needs.
- Week 1 will consist of intern orientation.
- Week 2 – 7 the intern will complete their first rotation.
- Week 8 will be a flex week to give the intern an opportunity to spend time with other child life staff that are not their current supervisor, as well as spend time with other modalities within the hospital.
- Weeks 9 – 14 the intern will complete their second rotation.
- Weeks 15 – 16 the intern will be provided time to complete projects. These will also be flex week to spend time with other child life staff that are not their current supervisor, as well as spend time with other modalities within the hospital.
Assignments during the internship include weekly journals, case studies, skills labs, readings, procedure observations and reflections, group activity outline and reflection, individual therapeutic play session outline and reflection, special event observations and reflections, informal assessment worksheets and psychosocial needs assessments.
winter/spring 2026 internship
Please carefully review and submit the required items below by September 5, 2025 to childlife@childrensdayton.org.
- Cover letter, including what interests you about completing an internship specifically at Dayton Children’s Hospital.
- ACLP Child Life Common Internship Application
- Documentation of completed ACLP Eligibility Assessment
- Academic transcripts for Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, if applicable.
- Please note: All submitted information should be placed in the order listed above and combined into one PDF document.
To be eligible for review, all items must be submitted in the order and format listed above. Incomplete applications or applications submitted out of order will not be accepted. All applications must be submitted prior to the deadline. Late applications will not be accepted.
We follow the submission, offer and acceptance dates as set forth by the ACLP. If you have any questions, please contact us at 937-641-3303 or childlife@childrensdayton.org.
child life practicum
Dayton Children’s is pleased to offer a child life practicum for college students pursuing the child life profession. This practicum is a 140+ hour observational experience (2 days a week for 12 weeks; 3 rotations) that is designed for students who have or are currently obtaining a degree in child life or any other major that is approved by the Association of Child Life Professionals.
- Completed a minimum of 3 courses in child life or related coursework (see recommended coursework below)
- Minimum junior level college status with a 3.0 or higher GPA
- Completed a minimum of 50 hours of working with children in a hospital setting, medical fragile daycare, or camp for children with medical needs
- Completed a minimum of 50 hours working with well children
- Application packet must include:
- Application
- Resume
- Unofficial transcripts
- 2 letters of recommendation
- Proof of work with children
- To gain an introduction to the Child Life profession in general, and to become acquainted with the Child Life Department at Dayton Children’s
- To have the opportunity to observe interactions with patients on a one-to-one basis and in group situations.
- To experience an accepting, non-threatening environment to promote healthy interactions between child, staff, and family.
- To gain an initial acquaintance with the needs of hospitalized children and to observe creative and flexible programming in meeting these needs.
- To observe advocacy for children and families in their interaction with the health care system.
- To see children prepared medical experiences through the use of books, medical equipment and play.
- Daily journal of hospital experiences
- Weekly journal reading, including a short summary in your journal.
- Plan and implement group activity time
- Observation of procedures
- Attend staff meetings, patient planning rounds, in-services
- Developmental observations
- Medical Play: Individual and group play experiences centered on a patient’s hospitalization.
- Preparation: Individual teaching and play experience provided to patients regarding specific medical treatments and procedures.
- Coping and distraction: Techniques and activities offered to patients and families during hospitalization and specific medical experiences to assist with comfort and control.
- Diversional and recreational play: Programming for normalization offered to patients and siblings throughout hospitalization.
These books are available from the Association of Child Life Professionals or can be ordered through Amazon.
- Psychosocial Care of Children in Hospitals: A clinical practice manual from the ACCH child life research project – Gaynard, L. et al. (1990)
- Meeting Children’s Psychosocial Needs Across the Healthcare Continuum – Bolig, R. Mahan, C. (2005)
- The Handbook of Child Life, A Guide for Pediatric Psychosocial Care – Thompson, Richard. (2009)
- Child Life – Child Development
- Family Development
- Human Development
- Family Dynamics
- Psychology
- Counseling
- Sociology
- Therapeutic Recreation
- Death & Dying
- Ethics
- Cultural Diversity (courses in world religions or that pertain to a single culture do not fall into this category)
- Medical Terminology
- Anatomy and Physiology
We would encourage you to complete a Course Work Review Application through the Association of Child Life Professionals website.
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From patient referrals to professional education and rewarding careers, we’re committed to supporting healthcare professionals in every step of their journey.
