Child Life Department

Your generous donations to the St. Joseph’s University Medical Center Foundation benefit many programs and services at the Medical Center. The Child Life Department at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital is a recipient of your generous funding and provides much needed support and services to children and their families during treatment. Child Life is funded solely through private donations and covers the following departments: Pediatrics, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit/Pediatric Step Down, Outpatient Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Department and Pediatric Emergency Department. All of our staff members are fully trained and certified in their area of expertise.

Mission Statement

As child life professionals, we strive to reduce the negative impact of stressful or traumatic life events and situations that affect the development, health and well-being of infants, children, youth and families. We embrace the value of play as a healing modality, as we work to enhance the optimal growth and development of infants, children and youth through assessment, intervention, prevention, advocacy, and education.

Our Child Life Specialists accomplish this mission by providing:

• Play: Therapeutic play, age-appropriate play, medical play
• Preparation: Preparing children for procedures, surgeries, etc.
• Education: Teaching children about illness, tests and the plan of care put in place by their medical team
• Distraction: Relief from pain or during painful procedures