Education in Child Life
What is a Certified Child Life Specialist?
Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLS) are healthcare professionals who help infants, children, adolescents, and their families cope with illness, injury, hospitalization, and other challenging life experiences. By using therapeutic play, education, and emotional support, they help reduce anxiety, promote healthy coping, and advocate for the developmental and emotional needs of children in healthcare settings.
The School of Social and Family Dynamics and the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions (Recreation Therapy Program) offer several undergraduate and graduate courses that provide students with the knowledge needed to pass the Child Life National Exam and to make them competitive for post-Bachelor Child Life Internships in health care settings. Please note that ASU does not offer a formal degree or certificate program in Child Life Education.
The academic requirements to become a Certified Child Life Specialist are highlighted below with our courses that may meet the requirements for eligibility to take the CCLS exam. We recommend students start an eligibility assessment with the Association of Child Life Professionals to confirm the courses they have taken meet the requirements for eligibility to take the CCLS Exam.
It is important to work with the Association of Child Life Professionals directly because the national requirements do change periodically and students are responsible for meeting the academic requirements as specified by the national office.
Prerequisite courses may be needed to complete these requirements, and not all courses are offered every semester. Please refer to the ASU Catalog and Class Search to locate this information.
Child Life FAQs
To become a Certified Child Life Specialist, you must complete required academic coursework, eligibility assessment, clinical internship, and sit for the certification exam. Read more about the steps to become certified.
ASU does not offer a Child Life academic program. The School of Social and Family Dynamics and the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions (Recreation Therapy Program) do offer several undergraduate courses that provide students with the knowledge needed to pass the Child Life National Exam and to make them competitive for post-Bachelor Child Life Internships in health care settings.
If you are an undergraduate student interested in a career in Child Life, we highly recommend that you major in Family and Human Development and earn the certificate in Recreation Therapy.
ASU does not offer a Child Life academic program. The School of Social and Family Dynamics and the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions (Recreation Therapy Program) do offer several graduate courses that provide students with the knowledge needed to pass the Child Life National Exam and to make them competitive for post-Bachelor Child Life Internships in health care settings.
If you are a graduate-level student interested in a career in Child Life, we recommend that you earn the master’s degree in Family and Human Development, as several of the required Child Life courses listed below may count towards the master’s degree.
Graduate students can also take courses as a non-degree seeking student if they do not wish to earn a degree.
No. Education in Child Life is not a formal degree or certificate program at ASU. Taking the courses listed below may qualify you to sit for the National Child Life Exam.
The academic requirements to become a Certified Child Life Specialist are highlighted below with our courses that may meet the requirements for eligibility to take the CCLS exam. We recommend students start an eligibility assessment with the Association of Child Life Professionals.
Students may begin the Eligibility Assessment process when they have at least a few, if not most, of their courses complete. The Eligibility Assessment is a living submission that applicants can enter some information and return later to enter the other parts as they complete them.
It is important to work with the Association of Child Life Professionals directly because the national requirements do change periodically and students are responsible for meeting the academic requirements as specified by the national office.
Prerequisite courses may be needed to complete these requirements, and not all courses are offered every semester. Please refer to the ASU Catalog and Class Search to locate this information.
The Certified Family Life educator (CFLE) program is different from the Child Life Specialist requirements. The Sanford School FHD BS program is an approved program through the National Council on Family Relations to offer certification in Family Life Education. Students can take all courses needed to earn provisional FLE certification in our school. However, earning this certification does not qualify a student for the Child Life path. There are different course requirements for Child Life. For the list of courses required to pursue the CFLE certification and find out what you can do with it, visit our website.
Students should contact their academic advisor if they have questions about Education in Child Life.