Child life specialists have difficult but rewarding jobs helping children and families cope with long-term illness and injury.
Most child life specialists hold a certification in child life. Keep reading to learn more about this certification and how to obtain it.
What Is a Child Life Specialist Certification?
Child life specialists are professionals who work with children who have serious illnesses or injuries, often in a hospital setting.
Most employers require child life specialists to be certified through the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP).
The ACLP is a nonprofit organization with the goal of advancing the field of child life.
They aim to do this by:
- enhancing the professional development of members
- establishing and maintaining professional standards
- fostering research into child life studies
- promoting the standards of child life practice
More than 5,000 child life professionals are part of the ACLP. These professionals are trained in helping infants, children, youth, and families cope with the stress and uncertainty of illness, injury, and treatment.
Steps to Earn a Certified Child Life Specialist Credential
The ACLP has set specific requirements that members need to meet to become certified child life specialists. These include education and internship requirements, as well as passing an exam.
Step 1: Fulfill Education Requirements
To become a certified child life specialist, you'll need to hold a bachelor's degree. You'll also need to meet specific course requirements, which can be done in two different ways.
First, you can earn a degree in child life from a college or university that is endorsed by the ACLP.
Second, you can meet the specific coursework criteria established by the ACLP.
You will need to take:
- a child life course taught by a certified child life specialist
- two child development courses
- a family systems course
- a play course
- a loss/bereavement or death/dying course
- a research course
- three additional courses in a related area
The ACLP recommends that each of the required courses be a three-credit course or the equivalent.
Step 2: Complete a Child Life Clinical Internship
To be eligible for the certified child life specialist exam, you'll need to complete a clinical internship in child life under the direct supervision of a certified child life specialist.
Your internship experience needs to be, at a minimum, 600 hours. Some educational programs include internships, which can help you meet this goal.
You can find a list of ACLP-accredited internship locations on the ACLP website. While your internship does not have to be accredited, this list can help you find places to fulfill your internship.
Step 3: Pass the Child Life Professional Certification Examination
Once you've met the eligibility requirements, you'll be able to take the Child Life Professional Certification Exam.
This exam is made up of 150 multiple-choice questions. It covers three domain areas:
- professional responsibility
- assessment
- intervention
You'll have four hours to take the exam, which is offered three times a year. You'll take the exam at one of the many ISO Quality Testing (IQT) facilities worldwide.
Once you've achieved certification, you'll need to renew every five years to keep your credentials current.
Child Life Specialist Certification Programs
The ACLP has endorsed a select group of child-life degree programs.
By completing the child life program at one of these endorsed colleges or universities, you're guaranteed to have fulfilled the coursework needed to meet the educational requirements for certification.
Below, we've broken down these ACLP-endorsed programs.
Undergraduate Programs
Eight universities have earned the ACLP's endorsement for undergraduate child life degree programs. You'll find their information below. All degrees listed are Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees.
| Institution | Public/Private | Location | Degree Offered | Format |
| Auburn University | Public | Auburn, Alabama | BS in human development and family studies, child life track | On campus |
| Central Washington University | Public | Ellensburg, Washington | BS in family and child life, child life specialization | On campus |
| Edgewood College | Private | Madison, Wisconsin | BS in child life | On campus |
| Harding University | Private | Searcy, Arkansas | BS in child life | On campus |
| Louisiana Tech University | Public | Ruston, Louisiana | BS in human development, child life concentration | On campus |
| Syracuse University | Private | Syracuse, New York | BS in human development and family science, child life specialist track | On campus |
| Tennessee Tech University | Public | Cookeville, Tennessee | BS in human ecology, child life concentration | On campus |
| Texas Woman's University | Public | Denton, Texas | BS in child development, child life emphasis | On campus, online degree completion transfer option available |
Graduate Programs
The ACLP has endorsed 12 U.S. graduate programs in child life. Only two institutions, Edgewood College and Texas Woman's University, offer both undergraduate and graduate degrees.
You'll find information about these Master of Science (MS) degree programs below.
| Institution | Public/Private | Location | Degree Offered | Format |
| Azusa Pacific University | Private | Azusa, California | MS in child life | On campus, online |
| Bank Street College of Education | Private | New York, New York | MS in child life | Online |
| Boston University | Private | Boston, Massachusetts | MS in child life and family centered care | On campus, hybrid |
| Edgewood College | Private | Madison, Wisconsin | MS in child life | On campus |
| Erikson Institute | Private | Chicago, Illinois | MS in child development, child life concentration | On campus |
| Loma Linda University | Private | Loma Linda, California | MS in child life specialist | On campus |
| Ohio University | Public | Athens, Ohio | MS in child and family studies, child life concentration | On campus |
| Texas Woman's University | Public | Denton, Texas | MS in child life | Online |
| Towson University | Public | Towson, Maryland | MS in child life, administration, and family collaboration | On campus |
| University of Georgia | Public | Athens, Georgia | MS in child life | On campus |
| University of Iowa | Public | Iowa City, Iowa | MS in health and human physiology, child life track | On campus |
| University of Minnesota | Public | Minneapolis, Minnesota | MS in applied child and adolescent development, child life concentration | Online |
Become a Certified Child Life Specialist
To become a certified child life specialist, you'll need to earn a bachelor's degree, meet coursework requirements, complete an internship, and pass the certification exam.
With the information above, you can start your journey toward becoming a child life specialist today.
