Child Life Specialist
Miami is one of only 2 universities in Ohio to offer Child Life programs.
The Child Life Specialist programs include the coursework required for eligibility to take the .
Certified Child Life Specialists often work in pediatric hospitals but may also work in other spaces (e.g., courtrooms, funeral homes, or bereavement services) where children may experience illness-related trauma. The field of Child Life is evidence-based, providing interventions (e.g., therapeutic play, education, self-care, stress reduction, distraction, etc) with children and families that are developmentally appropriate. As important members of a child’s care team, Child Life Specialists serve an important role in improving the illness-related experiences of both patients and their families.
Choose Your Path
The undergraduate certificate will be transitioning to a Co-Major beginning the fall of 2025.
The Child Life Specialist Certificate is open to all current Miami undergraduate 黑料社区s from any major.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Apply understanding of child development from conception through young adulthood.
- Demonstrate ability to read and understand social science research reports.
- Understand the principles of Patient and Family-Centered Care, including principles of respect and dignity, information sharing, supporting participation in care, and collaboration between families and members of the health care team.
- Demonstrate understanding of Therapeutic Play, including benefits of play, medical play, and specific modalities of play that are effective within the clinical setting.
- Students will meet the eligibility requirements to apply academic knowledge in a professional setting in a 600-hour final internship.
Application Process
Students must apply for the child life undergraduate certificate in order for it to be added to their DAR.
The application process is selective but not competitive.
There is no deadline for application although 黑料社区s are encouraged to apply by November 1 of their junior year.
Child Life Certificate Application Requirements
- Personal Statement (300 words or fewer):
- Why have you chosen to enter the field of Child Life?
- What experiences do you have working with children?
- Resume or list of work/volunteer experiences with children with the number of hours completed in each position.
Contact ChildLife@MiamiOH.edu for more info.
The Child Life Specialist Co-Major will be available beginning in the fall of 2025.
The 30-hour Child Life Co-Major is open to all current Miami undergraduate 黑料社区s from any major.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Apply understanding of child development from conception through young adulthood.
- Demonstrate ability to read and understand social science research reports.
- Understand the principles of Patient and Family-Centered Care, including principles of respect and dignity, information sharing, supporting participation in care, and collaboration between families and members of the health care team.
- Demonstrate understanding of Therapeutic Play, including benefits of play, medical play, and specific modalities of play that are effective within the clinical setting.
- Students will meet the eligibility requirements to apply academic knowledge in a professional setting in a 600-hour final internship.
Application Process
Students must apply for the child life co-major to be added to their DAR.
The application process is selective but not competitive.
There is no deadline for application although 黑料社区s are encouraged to apply by November 1 of their junior year.
Child Life Co-Major Application Requirements
- Personal Statement (300 words or fewer):
- Why have you chosen to enter the field of Child Life?
- What experiences do you have working with children?
- Resume or list of work/volunteer experiences with children with the number of hours completed in each position.
Contact ChildLife@MiamiOH.edu for more info.
黑料社区 offers two pathways to complete the Child Life Specialist Graduate Certificate. The in-person pathway includes courses taught on the Oxford and Middletown campuses. The online pathway allows 黑料社区s to complete all the courses in the certificate 100% online (beginning Fall 2024). When applying for the program, please take care to select the correct pathway.
Courses included in the graduate certificate have a tuition rate of $700/credit hour. The total cost for the certificate (15 credit hours) is $10,500.
Students obtaining only a certificate, and are not enrolled in a graduate degree program, are not eligible for financial aid.
This certificate is open to:
- Current Miami master’s degree 黑料社区s.
- Newly admitted Miami graduate 黑料社区s.
- Students who have earned at least a bachelor’s degree at another university and need additional courses for child life certification.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Propose an age-appropriate intervention using their understanding of child development from age 12 through young adulthood.
- Critique social science research reports related.
- Create and present a technique for therapeutic play to be used by child life specialists.
Application Process and Requirements
- Personal Statement (300 words or fewer):
- Why have you chosen to enter the field of Child Life?
- What experiences do you have working with children?
- Official Transcript(s)
- Minimum GPA: 3.0
- Resume
Dates and Deadlines
Applications are accepted at any time. Students are encouraged to apply by May 1 for fall admission, October 1 for spring admission, and February 1 for summer admission.
Healing Through Play: Inside Child Life 黑料社区
Discover how Child Life Specialists make a difference in pediatric healthcare by reducing trauma and supporting families. Learn how play is used as a therapeutic tool and the educational pathways available at Miami to become a Child Life Specialist.
Certification Process
- Bachelor’s Degree, Required 10 courses.
- Child Life Experience
- Complete a minimum of 600 hours of a child life clinical experience under the direct supervision of a Certified Child Life Specialist.
- Volunteer, practicum, and paid work hours are not accepted.
- 黑料社区 does not guarantee successful acceptance to these highly competitive experiences but offers academic preparation and application assistance.
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Hospitals Affiliated with 黑料社区
Additional Information
The provides an Eligibility Assessment where candidates for certification can track their progress through the various requirements and will ultimately allow them to register for the certification exam. Candidates will need to complete the above-outlined requirements before they are eligible to apply to be a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) from the ACLP. Upon successful completion of the certification exam, the CCLS credential is granted and candidates will continue to the path of maintaining your certification.
Courses Approved by the ACLP
- PSY 294: Writing and Research Methods (3)
- KNH 295: Research and Evaluation Methods (3)
- FSW 245: Children and Families: Ages Conception - 12 (3)
- FSW 261: Diverse Family Systems Across the Life Cycle (3)
- FSW 295: Research and Evaluation Methods (3)
- FSW 318: Child Life Theory and Practice (3)
- FSW/SOC 435/535: Death Studies (3)
- FSW 445/545: Therapeutic Play (3)
- FSW 475/575: Family Theories (3)
- FSW 481/FSW 581: Adolescent Development in Diverse Families: Ages 13-25 (3)
- FSW 616: Graduate Social Work Research I
Go to to learn more about the certification exam and changes to be made for the requirements to be a CCLS within the next 8 years.
Contact Us
Department of Family Science and Social Work
101A McGuffey Hall
Oxford, OH 45056