Child Life in Action

Meagan Roloff, MA, CCLS, Director Member Engagement, ACLP talks with Troy B. Pinkney-Ragsdale, CCLS, and Belinda Hammond, CCLS, two academic professionals, about online learning. They discuss the importance of organization, time management, networking, and collaboration with other students. Students are encouraged to share ideas with their instructors to enrich their online learning experience; to practice self care and take time away from the computer; to be educated consumers of online education and compare courses to find one that fits their learning style; and to explore new, alternative volunteer experiences that may be available. Access the list of organizations actively searching for virtual volunteers here. They caution students to be aware that not all practicums and internships accept online volunteer experience. See this time as an opportunity to take charge of your learning! Students may reach out to Meagan Roloff at mroloff@childlife.org with any questions they may have.  

Meagan Roloff, MA, CCLS, Director Member Engagement, ACLP, talks with Debbie Spencer, CCLS, and Katie Bowlin about how the pandemic has affected internships. Changes include adapting teaching methods and creating virtual clinical learning experiences. Don’t miss hearing about their innovative use of a robot for child life assessments and interventions, a workaround embraced by children and families. As a result of the determination, flexibility, and adaptability of both supervisor and student, Katie Bowlin, an advanced intern, was able to complete her internship virtually.

Meagan Roloff, MA, CCLS, Director Member Engagement, ACLP, talks with Jessika Boles, PhD, CCLS, about the research she's done that pushes the envelope of what we believe about children and what they can do in their healthcare experiences. For her dissertation, Jessika observed 3 children over a period of a 1 1/2 years. She led child life interventions including medical play, open-ended art activities, and group activities. She realized how acutely aware young children are of power dynamics and how that shapes communication in a healthcare setting. Jessika likes research that has given children a voice about their experiences and challenges popular beliefs about children's capacities and desire to be involved in their care. She is also very proud of leading the research team that produced the ACLP Value Proposition: The Value of Certified Child Life  Specialists: Direct and Downstream Optimization of Pediatric Patient and Family Outcomes that was published this year. Jessika discusses other research projects, including  ACLP's new Research Fellows program. Congratulations to Jessika for being named ACLP's first Chief Research Fellow!

Meagan Roloff, MA, CCLS, Director Member Engagement, ACLP, talks with Holly Wyatt, CCLS, and Karoline Radka, CCLS, - two new, early career Certified Child Life Specialists. They discuss the transition from being a student in child life to a professional and how current events are impacting their transition. They were both able to take the certification exam remotely proctored and earn their CCLS credential during the pandemic. Congratulations Holly and Karoline!

Meagan Roloff, MA, CCLS, Director Member Engagement, ACLP, talks with Megan Ribbens, CCLS about living and working in Nigeria and South Africa. Megan discusses how she thought about the essence of child life - understanding child development, providing family-centered care, promoting expressive play, and empowering children - then applying those skills in international community settings. She also examines how her perceptions of race, power, and family constructs have changed by experiencing different cultural norms and she references the TED Talk given by novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie about "The Danger of a Single Story".

Part 2: Meagan Roloff, MA, CCLS, Director Member Engagement, ACLP, continues the discussion with Ellen Good, MSEd, CCLS, Christine Mace, MA, CCLS, and Katie Stein, CCLS. They discuss tactics that can influence receiving more impactful contributions from donors, how to effectively advocate for child life, and the importance of nurturing relationships with child life champions within the organization. 

Part 1: Meagan Roloff, MA, CCLS, Director Member Engagement, ACLP, talks with Ellen Good, MSEd, CCLS, Christine Mace, MA, CCLS, and Katie Stein, CCLS. They acknowledge Albert Einstein's observation: "In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity" and discuss strategies that child life programs might consider to not just survive, but thrive, in today's challenging and uncertain economic environment. Be proactive and advocate for child life. Become familiar with the needs of the organization and make a case, using measurable results, for how child life meets those needs. Identify, nurture, and build multidisciplinary alliances within the organization. Explore and pursue new opportunities for child life in the midst of uncertainty.

Meagan Roloff, MA, CCLS, Director Member Engagement, ACLP, talks with Rene Guilbeau, CCLS, Alyssa Luksa, CCLS, and Diane Kaulen, CCLS, leaders on the ACLP Benchmarking Committee. This committee created the Child Life Professional Data Center (CLPDC) - a tool to help child life programs track and compare programmatic and capacity for patient impact data with others. They discuss the importance of communicating with hospital leaders and administrators in the language they understand, numbers and data. They encourage creating data-driven stories to demonstrate the value of child life and the impact it has on an organization's bottom line. They also encourage teams to continue data collection during the pandemic, creating a baseline of child life services during a national crisis. Questions may be directed to datacenter@childlife.org.

Meagan Roloff, MA, CCLS, Director Member Engagement, ACLP, talks with Hannah Knott, CCLS, about online learning in higher education. At Azusa Pacific University, instructional designers and media tech teams have helped transition in-person learning to online formats using video conferencing and other forms of technology that offer students the opportunity to connect, engage, and learn. Despite the bridge technology offers, online learning is not without challenges, particularly during a pandemic."We are not cognitively at our peak under stress." Hannah discusses the power of language to shape perception and notes that online education has the potential to increase diversity and access. Read The Right Way and The Wrong Way to Describe Online Teaching and Learning, the article referred to in the video.

Meagan Roloff, MA, CCLS, Director Member Engagement, ACLP, talks with Katie Nees, CCLS, and Eileen Esposito, CCLS, from Child Life Disaster Relief (CLDR). They discuss CLDR’s new program 'Coping Through Connection' that is helping children and families get through the pandemic. These interactive virtual connection sessions provide a space for children and families to come together and normalize their experiences by sharing what's been hard for them and what works. They also provide some tips on virtual group facilitation. To learn more about this program, visit the Child Life Disaster Relief website.