Thank you for your interest in an internship in Child Life. The Penn State Children’s Hospital is a 90-bed facility housed within a 463-bed teaching hospital. The Child Life Program provides direct patient contact with 60 of the 90 inpatient pediatric beds. (The NICU does not receive direct Child Life services.) Child Life services are also provided in the Pediatric Outpatient clinics, Pediatric Rehabilitation, and the Emergency Department.

We offer a full-time 40 hour per week, 12-15 week internship experience. Interns select two clinical areas in which to receive in-depth Child Life experience. Interns may choose from the following areas: Medical/Surgical, Hematology/Oncology, Pediatric Intensive Care/Intermediate Care, and Rehab/Emergency Department. Students will have opportunities to visit other clinical areas during the internship to provide additional Child Life exposure. At this time we are only able to accept applicants who are affiliated with a university.

• Download Application for the Child Life Intern Program

The Child Life Program accepts individuals who are the best prepared for a Child Life internship and who have a desire to gain certification and employment in this field. The following internship guidelines provide an overview of requirements and of the program components. We are only able to interview those applicants who are best qualified and who meet all of the application requirements. An on site interview is required to be considered for the internship. An internship in this health care setting will provide the college junior or senior undergraduate or graduate student with practical and intense Child Life experience. The program may be tailored to meet the specific needs of the individual at the discretion of the Child life Internship Coordinator or the student’s college/university supervisor.

An internship consists of a full-time 40 hour per week, 12 to 15 week experience. Internship placements at this health care setting offer no stipend and do not guarantee future employment at the Penn State Children’s Hospital. However, completion of the internship will enhance an application for Child Life Certification and will provide preparation to enter a competitive job market.

The professional association for Child Life Specialists is the Child Life Council. Professional certification for Child Life Specialists is obtained through the Child Life Certifying Commission.

For further information about certification contact:  
Child Life Council, Inc.
11820 Parklawn Drive, Suite 202
Rockville, MD 20852-2529
www.childlife.org

To be considered a potential intern, the following criteria must be met:

1. Bachelor's Degree held or junior or senior college level in pursuit of a degree in one of the following fields: 
   • Child Life
   • Child/Family/Human Development
   • Early Childhood Education
   • Degrees in Behavioral or Child Psychology, Recreational Therapy, and Music Therapy may also be considered if appropriate course work has been completed.
     ****Verification of liability insurance is required at start of internship****
2. 3.0 GPA minimum
3. 80-100 hours of volunteer experience with children in a hospital setting.
4. 80-100 hours of volunteer or work experience with children in other settings such as daycare, summer camps etc.
   ***Volunteer hours must be completed by time of application***

Individuals who meet the above requirements may submit an application to the Child Life Internship Coordinator. Applications must include the following in order to be considered for internship:

• Completed application.
• Current resume.
• College transcript to date (unofficial copy is acceptable).
• Two letters of recommendation written paragraph-style addressing your knowledge and skills relating to your work with children and professionals.
  1 recommendation from an academic instructor
  1 recommendation from a supervisor who has observed your work with children in the hospital
• Letter verifying the number of volunteer hours in hospital
  ***An on site interview is required to be considered for internship***