Child Life Internship

Exciting update for 2026!

Our child life department is committed to training aspiring professionals, ensuring access and opportunity, which guides our efforts in providing an environment where everyone feels safe, welcomed, valued, and respected. One identified burden for aspiring child life professionals is financial constraint that may otherwise prohibit a student's ability to pursue the profession. We are thrilled to announce a significant enhancement to our intern training program. Starting in 2026, we will offer a salary to child life interns throughout the 16 weeks of placement (not including benefits).

Thank you for your interest in our child life internship. This internship is clinical training to become a child life specialist and to complete the 600 required hours to sit for the child life certification exam. Child life interns must practice the academic knowledge they learn through hands-on clinical practice, collaboration with staff and mentoring with peers. Interns will use their child life skills and abilities to provide emotional safety for patients and families. Clinical skills learned include assessment, development, procedural preparation and support, therapeutic play, medical play, coping interventions, education, family-centered care and collaboration with the multidisciplinary team.

The online application portal for SUMMER 2026 will open on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025 at 12 p.m. CST. The FALL 2026 semester application portal will open on Tuesday, Feb 3, 2026 at 12 p.m. CST.

Completed application details

Cook Children's accepts the first 60 completed applications received each semester.

Details about when an application is considered complete are listed below.

Direct questions to childlifestudents@cookchildrens.org

Cook Children's only accepts the first 60 completed applications received each semester. Once 60 complete applications are received, the Cook Children's online application submission portal will close. This could happen well before the identified ACLP application deadline date. The following information details the parameters that dictate when an application would be considered "complete" by our program.

ACLP Common Internship Readiness Application
Confidentiality agreement - available in the online application submission portal
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Acknowledgement Form - available in the online application submission portal
ACLP Eligibility Assessment
Unofficial academic transcripts(s) verifying courses/program required by the ACLP Eligibility Assessment

Program information and requirements

We offer comprehensive child life internship opportunities three times a year, beginning in January, May and August
The Child Life internship is a 16-week, full-time paid experience (40 hours/week)
- Students will obtain 600 hours of clinical experience
- Students are expected to be available for internship during regular business hours
- Some rotations require evening and weekend coverage
Students will complete a minimum of two rotations
Students must complete the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) Internship Curriculum Modules and a variety of assignments
Required immunizations
- Full Hepatitus B Series
- MMR
- TDaP
- Varicella vaccination or titer
- Influenza Immunization
- Negative Tuberculin (TB) Test

Applicant requirements

You must have 150 hours of child life experience in a healthcare setting (this can include child life volunteer hours, child life practicum and/or child life assistant work experience.)
Must be at least a college senior, graduate student or college graduate
Must have experiences working with children and familes in both health-care and outside of health-care related settings
Validation of coursework
- Completed Association of Child Life Professionals Eligibility Assessment indicating "passed" in all coursework requirements OR we accept in progress courses ONLY for the current semester you are in with completion of the ACLP Eligibility Assessment prior to the start of the internship.
- Unofficial transcripts are accepted
Additional requirements specific to our internship program are outlined in the Clinical Internship Application Packet

Application information

The online application portal will open Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025 at 12 p.m. CST to receive application submissions for the SUMMER 2026 semester.

Consideration for internship requires the student submit a complete application and meet our program's minimum requirements
Submitting a complete application does not guarantee a student an interview or internship placement
Paper applications are not considered
The first 60 complete applications will be reviewed
The application portal will close once 60 complete applications have been received
Applications will only be accepted from the portal and not via email

Application Links and Resources

Internship application, offer and acceptance dates

Internship Session

Deadline

Initial Offer Date

Acceptance Date
Summer 2026

Jan. 9, 2026
11:59 p.m.
Central time

Feb. 17, 2026
12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Central time

Feb. 18, 2026
12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Central time
Fall 2026

March 13, 2026
11:59 p.m.
Central time

May 5, 2026
12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Central time

May 6, 2026
12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Central time
Spring 2027

Sept. 4, 2026
11:59 p.m.
Central time

Oct. 6, 2026
12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Central time

Oct. 7, 2026
12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Central time

Interview dates

All interviews will be conducted virtually via Zoom.

SUMMER 2026 - Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026
FALL 2026 - Monday, April 27, 2026
SPRING 2027, Monday, September 28, 2026

We appreciate your interest in our program. Please note that due to the high volume of applications and limited capacity, we may be unable to accommodate requests to reschedule interview dates. We encourage all applicants to consider their availability before applying and notify us as soon as possible of any requests to reschedule interview dates.

Questions?

Please email us at ChildLifeStudents@cookchildrens.org.