At Memorial Hospital for Children, our child life specialists are trained in child development and are an integrated member of your child’s health care team. The Child Life Program relies on a variety of activities to prepare children for their medical procedures and/or hospital stay.

Learn more about the following topics below:

•  Child Life Program Highlights
•  Playroom
•  Pre-Operative Program/Tour
•  Child Life Program Hours
•  Contact Information
•  Supporting Our Child Life Program

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Program Highlights

Children learn best through the language of play and find comfort in what creates normalcy for them. Our child life specialists have a background in child development and use a variety of activities to prepare children for their medical procedures and their stay at the hospital.

The Child Life Program aims to:

• Help the child overcome fear and anxiety.
• Alleviate the long and short-term emotional effects of hospitalization.
• Transform hospitalization from an ordeal into a positive experience that promotes the child’s growth and development.
• Provide the family with emotional support as well as  answers to questions, serving as a link between the hospital and home.
• Improve the child’s and family’s understanding of medical procedures through education and medical play.
• Provide the hospitalized child with a sense of control over a seemingly uncontrollable situation.

How? You may see one of the child life specialists…

• at a patient’s bedside
• in the emergency department or in the outpatient surgery area
• at children’s hematology and oncology clinic
• running playroom sessions
• working with grieving families
• holding a child’s hand during a medical procedure
• calming the fears of anxious parents
• or planning fun-filled activities for the kids.

Additionally, our child life specialists organize events throughout the year to ensure patients staying at the hospital during holidays and other special times of the year don’t feel left out.

Our child life specialists are here to help the children and to ensure that they have the most positive experience possible during their stay here at Memorial Hospital for Children.

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Playroom

One of the most important and effective components of our Child Life Program is our terrific playroom. The playroom—chock full of board games, dolls/dollhouses,training computers, arts and crafts materials, trains and numerous other toys—promotes and supports the healing process by providing children with their greatest sense of normalcy: PLAY!

Open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 to 7 p.m., the playroom is continuously staffed by trained volunteers. For more information about the playroom, contact our child life specialists at 719-365-5516.

PLEASE NOTE: Our internship program is currently unavailable at this time.

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Pre-Operative Program/Tour

We also offer a Pre-Operative Program that allows children and their families to come to the hospital before surgery to tour the surgery department. This tour provides children with the chance to experience a sneak preview of what they can expect the day of surgery—e.g. the gowns they’ll wear, the rooms they’ll be in, some of the staff and equipment that will be used, etc. We feel that this is particularly beneficial for school-age children; however, children of all ages are welcome.

Call 719-365-2975 for more information and/or to schedule a tour.

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Supporting Our Child Life Program

Memorial Hospital for Children’s Child Life Program is entirely funded through the generous support of community members who donate to Memorial Health System Foundation. For more information about supporting and/or furthering our Child Life Program, please call 719-365-GIVE (4483)or visit the Foundation section of our Memorial Health System web site.