Curriculum Recommendations
Taken from the Standards for Academic & Clinical Preparation Programs in Child Life, Child Life Council 1989-92 Education Committee, revised & approved May, 2001
Recognizing the importance of education, the Child Life Certifying Committee (CLCC) has identified areas of study germane to child life professionals. This information has been incorporated in an education/course work eligibility requirement. The course work list can be found in the Candidate Manual and is intentionally broad to accommodate variations within educational institutions and to allow for an objective review during the application process. It is important that child life students recognize that the CLCC alone sets requirements for certification.
To further guide students in academic planning, the Education Committee recommends study in these specific content areas. Please note that these are not listed in hierarchical order.
Theoretical Foundations
- Human development
- Family systems
- Attachment
- Learning
- Personality
- Play
- Education
- Stress/coping
- Separation and loss
- Organizational systems
- Group dynamics
- Temperament
Applied Areas of Study
- Observation and assessment
- Guidance of infants, children, youth and families
- Medical sociology, including health and wellness
- Communication/interpersonal relationships/interdisciplinary team functioning
- Ethics
- Parenting and family relationships
- Multicultural awareness
- Expressive interventions
- Programming for infants, children, youth and families
- Group facilitation
- Bereavement support and interventions
- Special needs populations
- Techniques of working with infants, children, youth and families
- Impact of illness, injury and health care on patients and families
- Child life practice
- Therapeutic play
- Crisis interventions
- Developmentally-supportive play
- Families and stress
- Program administration
- Healing environments
- Complementary (alternative) medicine
- Program and intervention evaluation
- Research methods and statistics
- Topics on supervision
- Child maltreatment
- Counseling skills
- Written communication
- Family-centered care
- Pain management
- Guided imagery and relaxation techniques