As we transition from spring to summer, I want to share about the new growth at ACLP and our bright future to which we look ahead.  

The month of March brought us the privilege of celebrating Child Life Month by lifting your child life stories, highlighting individuals’ achievements, service, and practice. From students sharing their decision to pursue child life to newly retired specialists reflecting on their careers, we are honored you chose to share your child life journeys with us. Each narrative reinforced what makes our profession so extraordinary: the heart and dedication you bring to supporting children and families during challenging times.  

We furthered honored the month by sending appreciation letters to administrators, hosted a complimentary PDU opportunity for members, and relaunching the highly regarded ACLP Forum, a digital space for ACLP members to network, share resources, ask questions, and support each other. The month culminated in recognizing Debbie Wagers, CCLS, HCM, our 2025 Distinguished Service Award winner, the creator of One Voice.  I encourage you to read about Debbie's transformative contributions in this issue's featured article. 

Our educational opportunities continue to expand, with additional cohorts of the Clinical Intern Supervisor Course, a new on-demand series, “The Intersection of Practice, Purpose, and Professional Identity,” and the 2025 Child Life Conference, which is quickly approaching! We look forward to hosting you in Los Angeles and gathering as a community, sharing knowledge and nurturing connections with colleagues who understand the unique challenges and joys of our work. If you are not attending our conference this year, you have an opportunity to engage with a curated selection of sessions and earn PDUs through our Lightning Pass, available starting in June.  

 I'm pleased to announce that in June, we'll open another application cycle for the Child Life Needs-Based Grant. This initiative provides vital financial support to child life programs facing budget constraints, particularly those serving diverse and underserved communities. The grants can fund supplies, equipment, and innovative programming that brings physical and emotional support through play to children and families.  We're profoundly grateful to Disney for this meaningful partnership. Look for complete details, including eligibility criteria and application timelines, in early June. 

Soon, our Board of Directors will transition into new leadership, led by Incoming President Elana Brewer, MS, CCLS. This annual transition brings fresh perspectives while ensuring that ACLP continues to represent the beautiful diversity of identities and roles within our profession. 

We are grateful to our outgoing President, Sarah Patterson, MSc, CCLS, who has led us through the past year with grace and purpose, and you can read more about Sarah’s tenure in this issue’s “President’s Perspective.” Sarah will move into the role of Immediate Past President and continue sharing her expertise with the Board. Outgoing Immediate Past President Alisha Saavedra, MA, CCLS shares how the current President, Incoming President, and Immediate Past President collaborate to provide astute leadership in this issue’s “Welcome to the Board Room.” 

Our annual Call for Abstracts opens in July, and we invite you to share your expertise with our community in 2026 programming.  Each year, we're humbled by the exceptional proposals submitted by child life professionals worldwide. and are grateful to host some of the innovative sessions and webinars in the profession. Each of you brings a unique light to our profession, contributing to the collective progress towards our vision to ensure psychosocial care to every child and family. The impact of child life practice on children and families is vast, and we are grateful to support the clinical practice and professional journeys of this community. 

It remains our privilege to support your clinical practice and professional journey. Thank you for being part of this extraordinary community.