History of ACLP

Archives Finding Aid

Archives Submission Form

Submit an Academic Program History

Submit a Clinical Program History

Historical Timeline of ACLP

The child life profession began in the 1920s to improve healthcare experiences for children by providing play, preparation, and education programs. See how ACLP developed over the past 100 years.

View a video celebrating the past 40 years of ACLP!

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

In the early 2000s, child life professionals work and influence the delivery of care in both healthcare and community settings. Certified Child Life Specialists work in pediatric in-patient units including critical care units, and in outpatient areas including emergency departments, radiology and imaging, specialty care clinics, and behavioral and rehabilitation facilities. They also work in other settings such as community outreach programs, private practice, hospice services, home health, camps for children with healthcare needs, private medical and dental practices, and services to children of adult patients.

2001: CLC sponsored the first annual Child Life Week. Membership reached more than 2,000. About 400 child life programs in existence.

2002: CLC celebrated its 20th anniversary.

2005: CLC membership reached more than 3,000. About 470 documented child life programs in existence.

2007: Child Life Council celebrated its 25th anniversary.

2008: CLC released Child Life Beyond the Hospital, a publication dedicated to the topic of child life practice in alternative settings.

2014: CLC hosted an international summit: The State of International Pediatric Psychosocial Services.

2016: The organization rebranded as the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP).

2018: ACLP collaborated with the Beryl Institute to produce a white paper: What Patient Experience Can Learn from Child Life Professionals.

2022: Child Life Certification Commission became a separate 501(c)6

ACLP Archives

The materials in the ACLP Archives collection are useful in providing a historical perspective on the development and growth of the child life profession, from its earliest inception as a series of “play programs,” to the independent and fully recognized profession that it is today.

Thanks to the generous support of Utica College, the ACLP Archives has been housed at the Frank E. Gannett Library in Utica, New York since 2001. The college was awarded the ACLP Spirit of Giving Award in 2009, in appreciation for the institution's ongoing support in preserving our history.

Accessing the ACLP Archives

If you are interested in learning more about the materials housed in the Archives, download and review the ACLP Archives Finding Aid for a list of all items currently catalogued in the library.

To request access to a digital copy of one or more items from the Finding Aid, please follow these steps:

Select the item(s) from the Finding Aid that you wish to review
Visit the Utica College Library Web page
Choose the first option: Ask a UC Librarian your question
Fill out your contact information. State your question by typing in name of the collection (Child Life Council Archives), the folder, and the item in the folder you wish to review
A Utica College librarian will respond to your inquiry

Submitting to the Archives

The ACLP Archives welcomes donations of historical documents pertaining to the development of the child life profession and ACLP as an organization. Materials may include reference books, personal letters, work papers, program files, videos, or even healthcare play equipment.

To determine if your historical material is a good fit for the ACLP Archives, ask the following questions:

Check the Archives Finding Aid (link) for ideas on which materials are the best fit for archival or to check for replication of item(s)
Be sure to assess your items for its relevance and value to the archives, focusing on primary materials surrounding the history of the profession or the Association
Review your materials to see if sending a digital copy is possible. This may save you mailing costs and may make your donation more accessible to researchers

To submit materials to the ACLP Archives:

Fill out the ACLP Archives Donation Form.
Send an email to info@childlife.org to begin the donation process. In that email include the completed donation form and a list of items for donation (please identify/title pictures, documents, letters).

Submit a Program History

As part of its ongoing mission to preserve the history and legacy of the child life profession, the ACLP is collecting clinical program and academic histories, and your story is needed!

This is an opportunity to share significant milestones about your program from its very beginning, and contribute to the ongoing documentation of the history of the child life profession. Your story will provide valuable information for future generations to better understand historical trends and the growth of the profession.

Submit an Academic Program History

Submit a Clinical Program History