Academic Programs Offering Child Life Course

Distance Learning Opportunities: Yes
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes
Courses Pre-Approved: 10 Required Courses; Undergraduate Program Endorsed
ACLP Endorsed: Yes

Distance Learning Opportunities: Yes
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Phoenix, AZ
Website: https://thesanfordschool.asu.edu/child-life
Department: T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics or School of Community Resources & Development 
Contact: Academic advisors in either the T. Denny School of Social and Family Dynamics (SSFD) or School of Community Resources & Development (SCRD)
Phone: (480) 965-6978 (SSFD) or (602) 496-0550 (SCRD)
Degree: Undergraduate Degree with Certificate in Child Life
Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Phoenix, AZ
Website: https://arizonachristian.edu/academics/programs/family-studies/
Department: Family Studies
Contact: Carolyn Pela, PhD, LMFT, CFLE
Phone: 602-489-5300
Email: Carolyn.Pela@arizonachristian.edu
Degree: Undergraduate - BA in Family Studies, Emphasis in Child Life
Distance Learning Opportunities: Yes
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Searcy, AR
Website: www.harding.edu
Department: Family and Consumer Sciences 
Contact: Brittany Blake, MS, CCLS
Email: bblake2@harding.edu
Phone: (501) 279-4680
Degree: Undergraduate - Child Life
Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes 
Courses Pre-Approved: None

ACLP Endorsed: Yes

Fayetteville, AR
Website: http://www.uark.edu
Department: Dale Bumpers College 
Contact: Rana Post, MBA, CCLS, CPST 
Email: rlpost@uark.edu
Phone: (417) 730-7133
Degree: Human Development and Family Sciences
Distance Learning Opportunities: Yes, course is online
Class available to non-matriculating students: No
Courses Pre-Approved: Yes

Los Angeles, CA
Website: www.calstatela.edu
Contact: Liudmila Flores
Email:lflores@cslanet.calstatela.edu
Phone: (323) 343-6188
Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes
Courses Pre-Approved:

Research: CHDV 2000 Techniques for the Study of Children

Family Systems: CHDV 4300 Parent Child Development over the Family Life Cycle

Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes 
Courses Pre-Approved: None
ACLP Endorsed: Yes

Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: No
Courses Pre-Approved: None

ACLP Endorsed: Yes

Distance Learning Opportunities: Yes
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Contact: Sofia Muller
Email: help@extension.ucsb.edu
Phone: (805) 893-4200
Degree: Certificate in Child Life 
Distance Learning Opportunities: Yes
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes
Courses Pre-Approved: Yes
Child Life Course: EDX370.2 Child Life: Introduction to Theory and Practice
Child Development (both courses must be taken to meet the requirement): ED X370.10 Child Development Birth to 18 years, ED X370.19 Early Child Development Birth to Five
Family Systems: ED X370.12 Family Systems: Child, Family and Community
Play: ED X370.3 Therapeutic Role of Play in Pediatric Care
Loss and Bereavement: ED X370.4 Death, Dying & Grief in Pediatric Care
Research: EDX370.14 Introduction to Research
Additional 3 Courses: ED X370.5 Assessment, Preparation and Medical Terminology, ED X370.15 Child Life & Trauma, ED X370.17 Child Development: Challenges in Global Maternal and Child, ED X370.18 Child Life in Non-Traditional Settings: Beyond the Hospital, ED X370.20 Health Care Ethics, ED X370.21 Adolescent Development 

La Verne, CA
Website: http://www.ulv.edu/
Department: Education
Contact: Leslie Ann Young, CCLS
Email: lyoung@laverne.edu
Phone: (909) 593-3511 x 4640
Degree: Graduate - Child Life
Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: No
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Fullerton, CA
Website: http://hhd.fullerton.edu/cas/ 
Contact: Katherine Bono, Ph.D., Department Chair
Email: kbono@fullerton.edu​
Phone: ​(657) 278-8458
Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes
Child Life Course: CAS328 Child Life Theory and Practice
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Distance Learning Opportunities: Yes
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: No
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: No
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: No 
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Muncie, IN
Website: bsu.edu/childandfamily
Department: Early Childhood, Youth, and Family Studies
Contact: Robin Box, M.A., Family and Child Program Director, Assistant Professor
Email: rbox@bsu.edu
Phone: (765) 285-4066
Degree: Undergraduate – Family and Child: Child Life
Distance Learning Opportunities: Yes
Class Available to non-matriculating students: Yes
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Marion, IN
Website: https://www.indwes.edu
Department: Division of Behavioral Sciences
Contact: 
Betsye Robinette, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Lesley Barton, MA, ATR, CCLS, DT, Adjunct Instructor of Child Life and Art Therapy
Email: betsye.robinette@indwes.edu
lesley.barton@indwes.edu
Phone: (866) 468-6498
Degree: child life class offered yearly
Distance Learning Opportunities: Yes
Class Available to non-matriculating students: NA
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Iowa City, IA
Website: https://clas.uiowa.edu/hhp/graduate/ms/child-life
Department: Health and Human Physiology
Contact: Emily Mozena, M.A., CCLS, CTRS
Email: emily-mozena@uiowa.edu
Phone: (319) 335-3822 
Degree: MS in Health & Human Physiology Sub-Track Child Life
Distance Learning Opportunities: Yes, One Class Available
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes
Courses Pre-Approved: None

ACLP Endorsed: Yes

Online: FCS 320: Infant Development; FCS 322: Adolescent Development; FCS 441: Family Relations; FCS 324: Theory and Guidance of Play; FCS 412: Family Stress and Coping; FCS 326: Child Life Practicum; Child Life 404: Child Life Theory and Family-Centered Care; Child Life 602: Developmental Perspectives on Illness and Health; Child Life 608: Family Dynamics and Psychosocial Interventions; Child Life 622: Practicum; Child Life 624: Child Life Internship; Child Life 628: Child Life Administration and Program Development

In-Class: FCS 321: Child Development; FCS 325: Introduction to Child Life; FCS 328: Advanced Child Life

Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: No
Courses Pre-Approved: Yes
Child Life Course: SW4070 Special Topics in Social Work: Child Life Theory and Practice

Towson, MD
Website: http://www.towson.edu/
Contact: Lisa A. Martinelli Beasely, Clinical Associate Professor
Email:lmartinelli@towson.edu
Phone: (410) 704-3766
Degree: Family & Human Services B.S./Child Life, Administration & Family Collaboration M.S.
Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: No
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Endorsed: Yes

Boston, MA
Website: http://bu.edu/wheelock
Contact: Paul Thayer, Clinical Associate Professor and Claire White, Senior Lecturer, Program Director, Child Life and Family-Centered Care
Email: pthayer@bu.edu, cmwhite@bu.edu
Phone: 617-353-1420, 617-353-1448
Degree: MS, Child Life and Family Centered Care, Fall or Spring Entry
Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: No
Date of Origin: 1972
Courses Pre-Approved: None
ACLP Endorsed: Yes

Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: Available upon request
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Minneapolis, MN
Program/Department Website:http://z.umn.edu/ICDMA 
Contact: Sarah Wiebler, MS, CCLS
Email:grab0099@umn.edu
Phone: 612.626.2259
Degree Offered: Online graduate degree in Applied Child and Adolescent Development with concentration in Child Life
Distance Learning Opportunities: Yes
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes - undergraduate child life course only (Undergraduate contact: cpsyadvis@umn.edu)
Courses Pre-Approved: None

ACLP Endorsed: Yes

Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Degree: Graduate – M.S. in Child Life Studies, and Undergraduate – B.S. in Child and Family Development with Child Life Option 
Date of Origin: Graduate – 2016, Undergraduate – 2006
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Distance Learning Opportunities: Yes
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes
Degree: Undergraduate minor - Child Life Minor offered by the Department of Family Studies, must be matriculated at UNH to do minor.  
Courses Pre-Approved: Yes

Research: SW 601: Research Methods

Child Life Course: HDFS 565: Introduction to Child Life

Loss and Bereavement: NURS 535: Death and Dying

Child Development: HDFS 623 DEVELOPMENTAL PERSPECTIVES ON INFANCY AND EARLY CHILDHOOD, HDFS 624:  Developmental Perspectives on Adolescence and Early Adulthood

Family Systems:  HDFS: 641 Parenting Across the Lifespan

Additional 3 Courses: HDFS 697: Intensive Child Life Design and Programming, HDFS 709 Advanced Child Development Practicum, HDFS 734 Curriculum for Young Children

Distance Learning Opportunities: Yes
Class available to non-matriculating students: No
Degree: Graduate - Child Life (Online Program Began Fall 2015
Date of Origin: 1988
Courses Pre-Approved: 
-Child Life Course: EDUC 821: Child Life in Healthcare Setting: A Family Centered Care Approach
-Child Development (both courses must be taken in order to fulfill th requirement): EDUC 500: Child Development, EDUC 503 Development: Adolescence through Emerging Adulthood
-Family Systems: EDUC 832: Cross-Cultural Perspectives: Families and Ethica Issues in Child Life Practice
-Play: EDUC 829: Therapeutic Play Techniques for Child Life Specialists
-Loss and Bereavement: EDUC 828 Loss in Children's Lives: Implications for Hospital, Home and School 
-Research: EDUC 830: Research for Child Life Specialists 
-Additional 3 Courses: EDUC 621: Documentation for Child Life Specialists, EDUC 822: Children with Special Health Care Needs: In the Hospital at Home and in School, EDUC 826: Medical Aspects of Illness: A Child Life Perspective  

Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: No
Degree: B.S. - Child and Family Studies with a specialization in Child Life
Courses Pre-Approved: None
ACLP Endorsed: Yes

Degree: Undergraduate
Date of Origin: 1978 
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Degree: Undergraduate and Graduate - Child Development & Family Relations with a Specialization in Child Life
Date of Origin: 1990
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Oxford, OH
Website:  https://miamioh.edu/ehs/academics/departments/fsw/academics/majors/family-science/child-life/index.html
Contact: Elise Radina
Email: childlife@miamioh.edu
Phone: 513-529-2323
Distance Learning Opportunities: Some core courses are available online.
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes 
Programs: Child Life Specialist Certificate (Undergraduate), Graduate Child Life Specialist Certificate
Courses Pre-Approved: Yes
Child Development (Both courses must be taken to meet the requirement.): FSW 245: Children & Families Ages 0-12, FSW: 481/581 Adolescent Development
Research: FSW 295: Research and Evaluation Methods
Family Systems: FSW 261: Diverse Family Systems Across the Life Cycle
Play: FSW: 445/545 Therapeutic Play
Child Life Course: FSW: 318 Child Life Theory and Practice
Death and Dying: SOC/FSW: 435/535 Death Studies    

Degree: Undergraduate and Graduate - Child and Family Studies with Concentration in Child Life
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: No
Degree: Undergraduate - Leisure Studies-Therapeutic Recreation with concentration in Child Life Therapy
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Distance Learning Opportunities: Yes, blended program with online and in-person residency courses.
Class available to non-matriculating students: No
Degree: Masters of Science, Child Life & Pediatric Psychosocial Care; Stream 1 (Entry to Child Life Practice); Stream 2 (Advanced Skills in Pediatric Psychosocial Care)
Date of Origin: 1989
Courses Pre-Approved: None
ACLP Endorsed: Yes

Distance Learning Opportunities: Yes, some courses available online or in hybrid formats
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes
Degree: B.S. in Applied Developmental Psychology with Child Life Option
              M.S. in Applied Developmental Psychology with Child Life Concentration
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: No
Degree:  M.S. - Child Life 
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes 
Degree:  B.A. - Child & Family Studies with Child Life Emphasis
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Degree:  B.S. - Human Ecology with Child Life Concentration
Courses Pre-Approved: None

ACLP Endorsed: Yes

Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: No
Degree: Graduate - Family and Child Studies with Graduate Child Life Track
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Distance Learning Opportunities: Online section coming soon
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes
Degree: Bachelor and Master degrees in child development with a child life track (face-to-face) and Master of Science in Child Life (100% online)
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Fort Worth, TX
Website: https://child.tcu.edu
Department: Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development, Psychology Department
Contact:  Casey Call, Ph.D., Assistant Director
Email: c.d.call@tcu.edu        
Phone: (817) 257-7415
Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Degree: Undergraduate – Child Development, BA or BS
Class available to non-matriculating students: No
Courses Pre-Approved: Yes

Child Life Course: CHDV 40223:Fundamentals of Child Life Practice

Research Course: PSYC 30503: Behavioral Research

Family Systems: Marriage and Family - SOCI 30303

Waco, TX
Website: www.baylor.edu/chhs/
Department: Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences
Contact: Nicole McAninch, PhD, Division Leader for Child and Family Studies
Email: nicole_mcaninch@baylor.edu
Phone: 254-744-6367
Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Distance Learning Opportunities: Yes 
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes
Degree: B.S. -  Human Development
Date of Origin: 2014
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes
Degree: Undergraduate, Graduate
Date of Origin: 1989
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes
Degree: Undergraduate, Graduate
Date of Origin: 2012
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Distance Learning Opportunities: No
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes 
Degree: B.S. -  Family and Child Life,  Child Life Specialization; M.S. -  Family and Child Life
Courses Pre-Approved: None

ACLP Endorsed: Yes

Distance Learning Opportunities: Yes 
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes
Degree: B.A. - Children's Studies,  Child Life Track
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Distance Learning Opportunities: Yes
Class available to non-matriculating students: No
Degree: Bachelors of Science: Child Life and/or Masters of Science: Child Life
Date of Origin: 1972
Courses Pre-Approved: None

Endorsed Program: Yes

Stevens Point, WI
Website:http://www.uwsp.edu/fcs
Contact: Becky Konietzki, Academic and Career Advisor
Email:Becky.Konietzki@uwsp.edu
Phone: (715) 346-3233
Distance Learning Opportunities: Yes
Class available to non-matriculating students: Yes
Degree: Undergraduate - Child Life and Family Studies
Date of Origin: 2018
Courses Pre-Approved: Yes
Child Life Course: HD 490/690 Workshop in Human Development: Child Life
Child Development (all courses must be taken in order to fulfill the requirement): HD 362/562 Middle Childhood Development, HD 363/563 Development of the Preschool Child, HD 364/564 Infant Development and Programming, HD 466/666 Development and Guidance of Children & Adolescents 
Family Systems: HD 367/567: Intentional Intimacy and Family Systems
Play: HD 455/655: Child Life and Therapeutic Play
Research: HS 360: Research Design & Methods for Health Sciences

Loss and  Bereavement: HPW 465/665 Grief and Loss

Additional 3 Courses: Biology 287: Essentials of Human Anatomy, HS 295: Medical Terminology, Phil 302: Medical Ethics