Child Life Specialist

It can be scary for anyone in the hospital, but even more so for a child. Our Child Life specialists at Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital work alongside the healthcare team to help children cope while being in the hospital – and adding in a little bit of fun, whenever possible.

What is a Child Life Specialist?

A Child Life Specialist is a trained healthcare professional whose role is to improve patient and family centered care while reducing the stress and anxiety that can be associated with hospitalization. Each specialist has a bachelor’s or master’s degree in child development or a closely related field. All Child Life Specialists at Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital are also certified through the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP).

What does a Child Life Specialist do?

The main responsibilities of a Child Life Specialist are to:

  • Offer play and normalization activities such as toys, games, crafts, etc.
  • Increase a child’s understanding of their hospital experiences through the introduction of supervised medical play and preparation for procedures.
  • Explain procedures in language a child can understand, using preparation books, medical dolls, tablets and other resources.
  • Offer support and distraction during medical procedures with sensory toys and games as well as techniques such as deep breathing, alternative focus, guided imagery, etc.
  • Conduct therapeutic activities with children to help them cope with being in the hospital or with a particular illness or injury.
  • Educate siblings or other family members about a child’s diagnosis or reason for hospitalization.
  • Offer emotional and grief support for patients and families.
Child Life Coverage

The Child Life Department consists of 6 Certified Child Life Specialists that cover the following pediatric units:

If you would like to contact the Child Life Department, please email childlifemacon@atriumhealth.org

Child Life Practicum

*We are not accepting applications for the Spring 2024 practicum program. Please check back for future opportunities.

Each Spring and Fall semester, the Child Life Department offers a Practicum for Child Life Students in the process of pursuing a degree in Child Life or a related field at a college or university. The Child Life Practicum is a minimum of 100 hours as suggested by the Association of Child Life Professionals. The program is designed to give students clinical experience under the direct supervision of a Certified Child Life Specialist in preparation for applying for Child Life Internships.

*At this time we are only accepting students from affiliated universities including the following: Georgia Southern University, University of Georgia, Auburn University, University of Alabama, University of Missouri, East Carolina University, Louisiana Tech, and Mississippi State University.

For more information or to complete an application, please click here

If you have further questions, please contact Haleigh Cruce, CCLS at 478-633-6384 or email haleigh.cruce@atriumhealth.org.

Child Life Internship

We are not accepting applications for the Child Life Internship until further notice. Please check back for future updates.

Each Spring and Fall semester, the Child Life Department offers an Internship for Child Life Students in the process of pursuing a degree in Child Life or a related field at a college or university. We provide a minimum of 600 hours which satisfies the Association of Child Life Professionals’ requirement of 600 hours. This internship provides students with hands-on experience and clinical training under the direct supervision of a Certified Child Life Specialist in preparation to take the Child Life Certification Exam and to apply for professional Child Life positions. For more information on eligibility and application requirements, please click here.

Music Therapy Practicum

We provide clinical hours for Music Therapy students from Georgia College and State University during the Spring and Fall semesters. For more information on how to apply please click here

For any further questions please contact:

Amanda Dougherty, CCLS at 478-633-6539 or Amanda.Dougherty@atriumhealth.org

Give Back

We are so grateful to everyone who wishes to give back to Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital. Please see below for several ways to become involved.

Material Donations: With the help of our generous community, we strive to make sure that each patient can still be a child while in the hospital by providing them with opportunities for play and normalization. If you are interested in helping by donating material items, please click here for a copy of our current Donation Wish List. You may also access our online Amazon wish list to have your gift mailed directly to the Children’s Hospital here. For the safety and consideration of our patients and families, we are unable to accept the following items: used/pre-owned items, religious items, toy weapons, latex balloons, and homemade food.

Donations may be dropped off at any time (no appointment required) at the registration desk in the lobby of the Children’s Hospital located at 700 Spring Street Macon, GA 31201. For more information, please contact the Child Life Department at 478-633-7219 or email childlifemacon@atriumhealth.org

Service Projects: If you or your organization is looking for a hands-on way to support our patients, please click here for a list of available service project opportunities.

Monetary Donations: In addition to our wish list items, we also rely on monetary donations to help make each patient experience as pleasant as possible. Philanthropic dollars allow the Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital, Navicent Health to purchase the “extras” such as therapy items for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, specialized medical equipment for our various pediatric units, pediatric wheelchairs, child life iPads for used for distraction, and much more. Your donation is tax-deductible and greatly appreciated.

For monetary donations, please contact Navicent Health Foundation at 478-633-GIVE.

Special Events and Programs

Visiting Groups

  • Visiting group activities are an opportunity for community members or organizations to visit the hospital and facilitate a fun activity for patients and families to enjoy. Please contact 478-633-7219 or email childlifemacon@atriumhealth.org for more information or to schedule an activity.

Holly Jolly Shoppe

  • The Holly Jolly Shoppe is a holiday donation program benefiting Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital. This event is sponsored by the Navicent Health Foundation and is made possible by generous donations from the local community. Please click here for more information and a list of popular items. You can also access our online Amazon Wish List here to view examples of popular items or to have a gift mailed directly to the hospital. If you have any questions, please contact the Child Life Department at childlifemacon@atriumhealth.org or 478-633-7219.

Trick or Treat Parade

  • Each October, we host a Trick or Treat Parade for patients who must spend Halloween in the hospital. This is an opportunity for patients and families that may have missed out on festivals, trick or treating, school parties, or other fall activities due to hospitalization to still participate while undergoing treatment. If you are interested in donating new costumes or store bought individually wrapped candy or prizes to the parade, please contact the Child Life Department at childlifemacon@atriumhealth.org or 478-633-7219.

Character, Celebrity, and Professional Sports Team Visits

Pet Therapy

  • Our Pet Therapy Program consists of volunteers that bring their Certified Therapy dogs to visit the hospital and interact with the patients and families. This is a wonderful opportunity for those undergoing hospitalization to feel the love and comfort that a Certified Therapy dog can provide. For more information regarding this program or to learn how to become a Pet Therapy volunteer, please contact the Child Life Department at childlifemacon@atriumhealth.org or 478-633-7219.