The AOA体育平台 Barbara Bush Children鈥檚 Hospital Child Life Specialist Student Internship program is an intensive, clinically based program which meets the child life certification requirements for clinical experience.
Comprehensive child development training
Our full-time program is designed for bachelor's and master鈥檚 level students from the fields of child life, child development, child and family studies, recreational therapy or other related fields of study which include a strong child development emphasis.
Applicants must be affiliated with a college or university
Prior to the start date, an affiliation agreement must be established and signed by AOA体育平台 Barbara Bush Children鈥檚 Hospital and your university/institution. Selection of interns is based on previous experience working with children, successful completion of all child life coursework, interview and references. Our internship program will only accept students who have:
- Volunteer or paid experience with children, preferably in a pediatric hospital setting
- All 10 (ACLP) required courses
Housing, meals, transportation and additional expenses to support the learning process are the responsibility of the intern.
Application process
We are now accepting internship applications for Fall 2025. We follow all .
A completed application includes:
- The completion of the
- This includes uploading your transcripts and ACLP eligibility assessment. Please ensure that these are included in the PDF file of your common application.
- Resume
- Two letters of recommendation
- One letter of recommendation must be from a supervisor of your work with children.
- Other possible recommenders include past employers, professors, academic advisors, supervisors, volunteer coordinators, etc.
- Three additional essay responses: Please keep responses to under 300 words each.
- What do you look forward to learning in your internship?
- Describe how a child life specialist can impact the health care experience for children and their families.
- What have been some of your biggest 鈥渁ha鈥� moments about the child life profession so far?
Recommenders should email a copy of your letter to [email protected] with subject line 鈥�Your Last Name 鈥� Application Cycle Recommendation Letter鈥�
All other materials may be submitted by the applicant to [email protected].
After applications are reviewed and interviews are conducted, selections are made by the AOA体育平台 Barbara Bush Children's Hospital child life program manager and internship committee. Acceptance into the program is based on capacity and applicant qualifications. Application submission does not guarantee an interview or internship placement.
Upon program acceptance, all students must be cleared through a background check completed by the academic institution. Students must meet our occupational health requirements which includes:
- Completion of our medical form by your private physician
- Up-to-date immunizations
Child Life Services at AOA体育平台 Barbara Bush Children's Hospital
AOA体育平台 child life services at AOA体育平台 Barbara Bush Children's Hospital help children cope with the stress and uncertainty of illness, injury, disability and hospitalization. Our child life specialists are trained professionals who focus on supporting the unique psycho-social, emotional and developmental needs of each child and family.