Child Life

Camps for kids offers free, diagnosis-specific summer camps and weekend retreats where patients and their families can enjoy traditional camp activities, receive medical education, and connect with other families in the community going through similar journeys.

Creative Arts Program (CAP) brings the healing power of self-expression directly to our patients and their families. Through clinical music therapy, hands-on visual arts and playful movement and drama, the program provides a safe space for children to process emotions, find distraction and simply experience the joy of creating during their stay at the medical center.

A a place inside Cook Children's where our patients can go to just be kids. The Child Life Zone (CLZ) is a state-of-the-art, treatment-free environment that offers a different kind of "medicine." At The Zone, we think games, art, music, creativity and imagination make for great therapy and deliver a big dose of fun to help kids feel better.

There's an old saying that laughter is the best medicine. At Cook Children's, we believe it's certainly good for you. That's why we offer Laughter League, a therapeutic medical clown program. Our professional clowns use humor and laughter to help our patients in their healing.

• Our care doesn't stop with the patient, it extends to the whole family. That's why we partnered with Panda Express to bring you the Panda Cares Center of Hope Sibling Support Center. The center creates a safe place for brothers and sisters to stay during appointments while allowing parents to focus on their child who is a patient.
• Having a brother or sister with a chronic health challenge or life-changing injury can be hard. Siblings may feel left out or have unmet needs while their parents need to focus a little extra attention on the child who is ill. Cook Children’s Sib2Sib Program™ helps to provide the sisters and brothers of patients with attention, support and encouragement.

Because we recognize the importance of school work for our young patients, Cook Children's partners with Fort Worth Independent School District for our school program to make sure that school services are provided to eligible patients while in the hospital setting. 

A warm and fuzzy hug can help anyone feel better and a dog's healing presence is known to have a positive influence on wellness. That's the driving force behind Sit...Stay...PLAY, our facility dog program at Cook Children's.Whether the dogs come in and sit by your child's side or help them recover from a procedure, there are added health benefits—and lots of happy tales!

• The support groups at Cook Children's offer comfort, understanding, strength and coping skills to help both the patient and family members manage the challenges of care and the stress of your child's diagnosis, condition and treatment.
  • The Trauma Support program offers support groups and a spring-time weekend family camp to begin engaging with patients, caregivers and siblings to focus on healing their invisible scars of trauma.

Cook Children's Youth Advisory Council-Patients Advising for Change (YAC-PAC) is a group of current and former patients (6-12 grade) who work with hospital staff, sharing their perspective and suggestions to create a hospital environment that meets their needs, emotionally as well as physically.

Our Child Life Specialists are trained to educate and prepare your child about illness, life changes, their treatment and procedures throughout their medical experience. Using teaching tools, pictures, age-appropriate language and real medical equipment, they can help familiarize your child and family with their experience and the hospital environment.

Play can bring comfort and joy to a child facing the difficult challenges of a hospital stay, illness or injury. Through play, children express fear and anxiety, share their misconceptions, learn and practice skills and roles and explore solutions to problems. (added from “the importance of play” section)

Our Child Life Specialists and Activity Coordinators provide meaningful play and recreational opportunities for patients and siblings visiting the hospital to promote growth, development and coping within the hospital. Best of all, the services are available for free. Child Life play services include, but aren't limited to:

• Activities and toys for families to engage in while they are in their hospital room.
• Opportunities to desensitize and explore real medical equipment through play (medical play).
• Creative Arts Program (CAP) connects patients to the art of healing through creative expression.
• Provide information about hospital amenities.

Play opportunities are available in the playrooms found on each inpatient unit, or can be brought to the bedside of children and young people who aren't able to leave their rooms. Many of our specialty clinics also have Child Life specialists available, and all Cook Children's patients visiting the medical center are welcome in the Child Life Zone as long they have their doctor's approval.

Child Life Specialists offer a variety of other services to best serve and support your child and family, including but not limited to the following:

• End-of-life support to patients and families as well as bereavement support for family members
• Assistance with coping strategies, distraction and/or support during stressful events
• Support to siblings and other family members visiting a patient
• Celebration of birthdays, milestones, holidays and essential life experiences
• A visit to a child's school after life-altering injury or chronic illness to help classmates understand and make it easier for the patient when returning to classes
• Developmental assessments and referrals to community resources

Cook Children's boasts one of the largest child life departments in the country, with over seventy five staff members, including certified Child Life specialists, activity coordinators, board certified music therapists, artists, educators, clowns and more. Child Life is a highly valued program at Cook Children's and our Child Life specialists serve on many hospital-wide committees, task forces and councils, ensuring that there's always a focus on our patients and what's best for them.

Child Life specialists are educated in child and human development; they have at least a bachelor's degree, and in many cases, a master's. Many have completed a semester of practicum, and all have completed a 600-hour highly selective clinical internship. Following completion of  their clinical internship, our Child Life Specialists must determine theoretical and practical knowledge to pass a certification exam. Once certified, they're required to maintain certification by participating in professional development and continuing education.