Child Life Traditional Internship
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 portal will open for applications for the SPRING 2026 internship on Tuesday, July 22, 2025 at 12 p.m. CST. The portal will close after 60 completed applications are received OR until the deadline of Friday, September 5, 2025 at 11:59 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 (with the exclusion of Essay #3)
- Please be sure to download and utilize the correct 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 September
- The Child Life internship is a 15-1/2 week, full-time 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
- At this point in time, Cook Children's no longer requires the child life practicum for internship applicants
- 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, July 22, 2025 at 12 p.m. CST to receive application submissions for the SPRING 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
- Clinical Internship Application Packet
- Child Life Internship Application Submission Portal
- Cook Children’s Internship Application (ACLP Application excluding Essay #3)
- Association of Child Life Professionals Eligibility Assessment
Internship application, offer and acceptance dates
-
Internship SessionDeadlineInitial Offer DateAcceptance Date
-
Fall 2025
(Aug.– Dec.)March 24, 2025
11:59 p.m.
Central timeMay 6, 2025
12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Central timeMay 7, 2025
12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Central time -
Spring 2026
(Jan. – April)Sept. 5, 2025
11:59 p.m.
Central timeOct. 7, 2025
12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Central timeOct. 8, 2025
12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Central time
Interview dates
All interviews will be conducted virtually via Zoom.
- FALL 2025 - Monday, April 28, 2025
- SPRING 2026 - Monday, Sept. 29, 2025
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.