Exciting Update: New 12-Month Residency Program for Child Life Specialists at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

We are thrilled to announce a significant enhancement to our intern training program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Starting in 2025, we will offer a 12-month residency program designed to provide an elevated, comprehensive training experience for aspiring Child Life Specialists (CLS).

This dynamic program begins with four months of ACLP internship training, which includes two clinical rotations, one elective week, and one orientation week. Upon successful completion of the internship, residents will transition into employment as a Child Life Specialist (CLS), gaining hands-on experience and professional development opportunities. This residency is offered three times a year, with each cohort benefiting from our robust, multidisciplinary training approach.

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: 12-Month Residency Program Highlights

Competitive Salary

• Residency rate during the program
• Transition to entry-level CLS salary after completion

Benefits

• Full-time residents receive employee benefits after 90 days of employment.

Career Growth

• Potential opportunity for continued employment after the residency completion
  • Based on a year-end evaluation and ACLP evaluation tools during internship

Full-Time (40 hours/week)

• Direct involvement in planning and delivering supportive programs for children and families.
• Hands-on experience in a healthcare setting

3 Cohorts Per Year

• Summer, Fall, and Spring sessions
• Limited flexibility on start and end dates

Upcoming Residency Sessions:

• Summer 2025: May 5 – August 22, 2025 (Application Deadline: January 5, 2025)
• Fall 2025: August 25 – December 12, 2025 (Application Deadline: March 15, 2025)
• Spring 2026: January 5 – April 24, 2026 (Application Deadline: September 5, 2025)

Requirements for Applicants

• Education: Applicants must have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in child development or a closely related field, and have completed or be in progress with the core 10 required courses for certification by the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP).
• Experience: A minimum of 100 hours of experience working with children in individual or group settings (e.g., camps, daycares, developmental centers).
• Coursework: Completion of required coursework, including a Child Life course taught by a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS), and other relevant child development courses. Please refer to the ACLP Certification Requirements for detailed course listings.

Application Process

• Applications for the 12-month residency program will be accepted for Summer 2025, Fall 2025, and Spring 2026 terms only. Traditional 4-month internship applications will not be accepted for these terms.
• Application Deadline: Applications must be submitted by the designated email address: childlifeinternshipapplication@chop.edu by the stated deadlines. Late applications will not be considered.
• Interview Process: If selected for an interview, candidates will participate in a virtual interview with the Human Resources team, the Child Life internship task force members, and department managers.

Additional Information

• We encourage applicants to include pre-internship experience (e.g., pediatric healthcare settings, practicums, volunteer work) in their application, though such experience is not a requirement.
• Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia follows all non-discrimination policies as outlined by Title IX and other applicable laws, ensuring a welcoming, inclusive environment for all applicants and residents.
  • It is the policy of the Hospital to prohibit unlawful discrimination and discriminatory harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, marital status, disability, veteran’s status, genetic information, victim of domestic or sexual violence status or other protected classifications to the extent required by applicable laws.  Such conduct is prohibited whether engaged in by fellow employees or supervisors or by outside vendors, patients, visitors or other non-employees who conduct business with the Hospital, and whether in the workplace or in other work-related settings, such as on business trips, at conferences and at business related social events.
  • In compliance with Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is committed to providing an environment free of discrimination on the basis of sex, including, but not limited to, sex-based disparate treatment, sexual misconduct and sexual harassment in all of its educational programs and activities.
  • Defining Diversity and Inclusion at CHOP
  • Diversity refers to the composition of our employees, students and patients—the variety of personal experiences, values, and worldviews that arise from differences of culture and circumstance. Such differences include but are not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, language, abilities/disabilities, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and geographic region.
  • Inclusion refers to our CHOP culture whereby all of our employees, students, patients and families feel welcomed, respected, valued and understood. It's the way we fully integrate, leverage, develop, and hardwire the diversity of our employees and patients in everything we do, every day.

Investment in Your Learning

At Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, we are deeply committed to fostering a supportive and enriching learning environment. We offer a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, work t-shirts, educational in-services, and role-playing opportunities to enhance your learning experience. Our goal is to lessen financial burdens while promoting safety, equity, and respect for all residents.

Apply Today

We look forward to reviewing your application. Please note, due to the selective nature of the program, only a limited number of applicants will be accepted each term (typically 2-4 per cohort).

Please fill out the ACLP common application and submit to childlifeinternshipapplication@chop.edu.

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia remains committed to providing exceptional education and professional development in the field of Child Life. We hope you will join us on this exciting journey.