School of Health Sciences and WellnessCollege of Professional Studies

The Child Life Specialist Preparation Certificate, one of our newest additions to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point family and consumer sciences-child life and family studies major, leads to an occupation in which child life specialists provide evidence-based, developmentally appropriate interventions including therapeutic play, preparation and education that reduce fear, anxiety, and pain for children and youth.

What is child life?

An occupation in which child life specialists provide evidence-based, developmentally appropriate interventions including therapeutic play, preparation and education that reduce fear, anxiety and pain for children and youth. See childlife.org for more information

Pursuing child life at UW-Stevens Point

• Complete the 10 required/recommended courses required by the Association of Child Life Professionals. Most students majors in family and consumer sciences-child life and family studies and follow this plan of study.
• Join the Child Life Association of Stevens Point (CLASP), the student organization focused on helping each other on the path to careers in child life. Watch CLASP interviews with Certified Child Life Specialists to learn more about their path into the field.
  
• Start volunteering and working with children who are healthy and typically developing, as well as children who are fighting illness or disease, are grieving or have developmental challenges. Log and track these hours; you will need at least 100 hours in each category, but successful students often have hundreds of hours in both categories.
  
• Plan to complete a practicum experience, which is essentially a two or three week intense job shadow with a Certified Child Life Specialist in a hospital.
  
• Know that your final two steps in the process will be an internship, a 600-hour experience in a hospital and a certifying exam.