Child Life Internship

About the Children’s Child Life Internship Program

Internship training is the final requirement for students pursuing a career as a Certified Child Life Specialist. The Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Child Life Internship, accredited by the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP), is offered three times each year in the winter/spring, summer and fall.

Our internship program is full time (40 hours per week) for 16 weeks, totaling 640 hours. Interns gain experience learning child life competencies as they rotate through two primary units in our hospital system. Students are also provided with additional learning opportunities in the form of weekly seminars, readings, and assignments with the goal of integrating developmental theory with clinical practice, encouraging a reflective learning environment, and preparing interns for the transition from student to professional.

For additional information about the certification process, coursework requirements, eligibility for certification, and career planning, please visit the Association of Child Life Professionals website.

Eligibility

To be eligible for this program, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Applicants must be a graduate or in the final year of their undergraduate or graduate programs with a strong background in child development or a closely related field. Bachelor and master level students are accepted.
• Earned a GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale for completed college level coursework.
• Applicants must complete the Association of Child Life Professionals course review through Eligibility Assessment and have documented verification of a minimum of 10 approved courses.
• Completion of a minimum of 100 hours of practicum experience working under the direct supervision of a Child Life Specialist in a healthcare setting. Practicum must be completed by the start of the internship semester.
• Children’s accepts both affiliated and unaffiliated students.

How to Apply

Applicants should apply through the Association of Child Life Professional’s Internship Readiness Common Application process. To learn more, please read the Internship Readiness Common Application Guide. Please email your completed application to ChildLifeInternship@choa.org and include your name in the subject line.

All applications must be received by deadline at 11:59pm to be considered. Please note, application is not a guarantee of interview or acceptance. A limited number of students will be accepted each semester. The number of students accepted varies each semester due to the number of applicants and supervisor availability.

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta follows the ACLP’s recommended application deadlines and process, including offer and acceptance procedures. Please visit the ACLP’s website for dates.

Internship Session Dates

• Summer 2023 Semester: May 8 – August 25
• Fall 2023 Semester: August 28 – December 15
• Winter/Spring 2024 Semester: January 8 – April 26

Please note: Children's will not be offering an internship experience during Summer 2024 or Fall 2024. Our program will resume for the Winter/Spring 2025 session.

Hospital Tour

Our Child Life team hosts quarterly informational tours for aspiring child life professionals. These tours take place at one of our main campuses on the first Tuesday of February, May, August and November.

Please email us at ChildLifeStudents@choa.org to register.

Contact Us

Please reach out to ChildLifeStudents@choa.org with any questions regarding our student programs.