Child Life Services at 榴莲视频官方 Hospital鈥擫ong Island
The certified child life specialists at 榴莲视频官方 Hospital鈥擫ong Island provide education, emotional support, and therapeutic play to help your child cope with the challenges of needing medical care. Our Child Life Program focuses on your child鈥檚 wellbeing, and helps support you and your family during your child鈥檚 hospital stay. Our compassionate and experienced specialists, who are trained in child development, talk with you and your child to learn how much they understand about their current situation and how they are adjusting. We explain what is happening and what to expect from their treatment in child-friendly terms.
Our Child Life Services
Our team helps normalize what may be an uncertain time for you and your child. We provide therapeutic play and fun games and activities to help children express themselves, build confidence, and create a positive experience while in the hospital. Our licensed art and music therapists help reduce your child鈥檚 stress. Our pet therapy and horticulture therapy services can also help put your child at ease.
Our child life specialists work with children throughout 榴莲视频官方 Hospital鈥擫ong Island, and also are on call for all areas of the hospital where children are affected by a parent鈥檚 medical care. If your child is celebrating a birthday or holiday during their stay, we can help you celebrate, and incorporate your cultural and family traditions. Please call 516-663-2761 for more information and learn how you can support our Child Life Program.
Child Life Internship Program
The Child Life Program at 榴莲视频官方 Hospital鈥擫ong Island offers comprehensive internship training, accredited by the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP). This 16-week, full-time internship is offered in the spring and fall. Potential interns must have completed all necessary coursework determined by ACLP to obtain a minimum of a bachelor鈥檚 degree in child life, child development, or related fields.
How to Apply
Interns must have a minimum of 100 hours of experience with children and families in non-healthcare settings, such as a daycare, school environment, camp, or development center. A minimum of 100 hours of fieldwork or volunteer experience in a child life program under the supervision of a child life specialist is also required.
To apply, please complete the Common Child Life Internship Application according to and mail the completed application to Theresa Leonis, 榴莲视频官方 Hospital鈥擫ong Island, 259 First Street, Pediatrics 5 North, Mineola, NY 11501. We do not accept applications through email. For more information about our internship training, please contact Theresa Leonis at Theresa.Leonis@NYULangone.org.