We know that illness and hospitalization are stressful events in the lives of children and their families. Child life specialists are professionals in child development, who promote effective coping through play, preparation, education, and self-expression activities.
Child Life at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital 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.
Our mission is 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
