The Child Life Joint Program prepares students to work as a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) to support children's social-emotional needs in health care settings
Information Session for Potential Applicants
Kym Allen, the Child Life Manager at Children's Hospital of Georgia, holds an information session for potential applicants in September of each year. The Fall 2022 Joint Program Information Session was held on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. Feel free to watch the following video of the session if you were not able to attend. The Fall 2023 Joint Program Information Session will be scheduled soon; check back for more information!
Degree Earned
Students who successfully complete this program will earn a B.S. in Human Development and Family Science with an Emphasis in Child Life, and will complete the coursework and clinical requirements for the child life certification exam.
Coursework
The coursework in this program focuses on development during infancy, childhood, and adolescence, as well as specialized coursework related to working with children in healthcare settings. The coursework will ensure that students have a strong understanding of child development within the context of families, recognize the specific needs of children who are hospitalized, understand play in therapeutic settings, and are familiar with child life interventions in hospital and other clinical settings.
Clinical Experiences
The Child Life Joint Program is a partnership between UGA and Augusta University. Students accepted to the Child Life Joint Program will spend their fourth academic year in Augusta, where they will complete specialized coursework and extensive clinical experiences at Children’s Hospital of Georgia that are required for certification. At the completion of the year in Augusta, students will have completed their Child Life internship.
Child Life Certification
According to the Association of Child Life Professionals, there are 4 requirements to become a CCLS:
- Bachelor's degree
- 10 required content courses (which can be included in the Bachelor's degree coursework)
- Child life internship
- Child Life Certification Exam
Students who successfully complete the joint child life program will take all of the specific courses required by the ACLP, and will exceed the minimum clinical internship hours required by ACLP. After completing the joint program and graduating, students will be eligible to sit for the Child Life Certification Exam. Upon passing the exam, they will become a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS).
Who Can Apply?
Human Development and Family Science majors can apply to the Child Life Joint Program in the fall of year 3. Students who are admitted to the program will take specialized child life coursework in the spring of year 3, and will spend year 4 at Children's Hospital of Georgia in Augusta. Students also have the option to apply in the fall of year 3 or year 4, and spend a 5th year in Augusta to complete the joint program.
The number of spots available in the joint program is limited because of the limited number of supervising CCLSs at Children’s Hospital of Georgia. In order to be eligible, students must have completed 60 credit hours of coursework (including courses currently in progress), have an cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better, and have completed (or currently be enrolled in) HDFS 4810: Hospitalized Child and the Family. Please note that not all applicants are accepted to this program; meeting the eligibility requirements does not guarantee acceptance into the program. Students accepted to the program will complete their last year at Children's Hospital of Georgia.
Application Process
Applicants will be required to submit the Common Child Life Internship Application, three letters of recommendation (including at least one from a college instructor), a resume, a letter from a Certified Child Life Specialist stating that they have shadowed a CCLS in a hospital setting for at least 8 hours, and unofficial transcripts of all college coursework. Applications are due by 4 pm on October 31 of each year, and must be hand-delivered to Dawson Hall Room 123. Interviews for the Child Life Joint Program will take place on the UGA campus in mid-November, and acceptance letters will be mailed to the student's home address in mid-December, after fall semester finals are complete. Review this checklist before you submit your application to be sure it is complete.