When Your Child Needs Medical Care,
You Deserve Support Too
“Child life services should be delivered as part of an integrated patient- and family-centered model of care and included as a quality indicator in the delivery of services for children and families in health care settings.”
American Academy of Pediatrics Statement on Child Life (2021)
If you’re here, you’re likely navigating a healthcare experience with your child—and it’s probably overwhelming, confusing, or downright scary. Medical jargon, unfamiliar procedures, and uncertain outcomes can leave any parent feeling helpless.
That’s exactly why child life specialists exist.
We are trained experts in child development, coping, and psychosocial care. And we’re here to help your child—and you—feel prepared, less anxious, and more empowered during any medical experience.
Whether you’re sitting in a waiting room, preparing for surgery, or managing a chronic condition, a child life specialist can be your guide.
What Do Child Life Specialists Do?
Certified child life specialists are trained professionals who support children and families in healthcare settings. We combine child development knowledge with emotional support and therapeutic tools to make tough medical moments feel a little less scary.
Here’s how we help:
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Explain medical procedures in kid-friendly ways using pictures, dolls, and play
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Help children cope with pain, fear, and anxiety before, during, and after medical experiences
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Provide comfort strategies and distraction techniques during procedures like blood draws or imaging
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Support siblings and family members to ensure everyone feels informed and included
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Empower parents and caregivers with tips, tools, and language to support their child’s emotional needs
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Facilitate medical play and expressive activities to help children process their experiences
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Advocate for your child’s voice and needs within the healthcare team
Child life services are grounded in evidence-based techniques that reduce trauma and build trust—something every family deserves in healthcare. Read more here.
Why Child Life Services Are Essential
Lower Anxiety & Distress in Children
Children who receive developmentally appropriate preparation and procedural support show significant decreases—upwards of 59%—in perceived, measured, and observed pain and distress.
Better Communication + Parent Empowerment
Parents of children who receive preparation and support from child life specialists also experience significantly lower levels of anxiety, which directly improves the child’s emotional response.
Improved Understanding Through Child-Friendly Education
Certified Child Life Specialists deliver tailored education about medical procedures using age-appropriate methods that promote understanding and reduce misconceptions.”
Increased Cooperation + Reduced Sedation
Preparation and procedural support from child life specialists has been shown to reduce the need for anesthesia and sedation, including a 24% shorter length of stay and a 14% reduction in emergence delirium in preoperative settings.
Better Long-Term Outcomes
“Children who are prepared for surgery by a child life specialist experience fewer negative symptoms, including lower fear and anxiety, increased cooperative behavior, and better long-term adjustment.”
— American Academy of Pediatrics, 2021The presence of a child life specialist is associated with fewer sedations, better coping, and shorter recovery times.” — Association of Child Life Professionals.
Learn more about the facts written above through the American Academy of Pediatrics or Association for Child Life Professionals
Yet, despite these benefits, many families don’t have access to child life services—especially outside of children’s hospitals.
You Don’t Need to Be in a Hospital to Get Child Life Support
At Child Life On Call, we believe every parent should have access to the tools and guidance that child life specialists provide—whether you’re in a hospital or at home.
Find a Certified Child Life Specialist Near You
We’ve built a network of Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLSs) who offer support virtually, in-office, or right in your home.
These professionals help families:
- Prepare for medical proedures, surgeries and hospitalizaitons
- Process previous medial procedures, surgeries and hospitalizations
- Cope with loss and death
- Educate about illness, diagnosis or complex medical topics
- and so much more
Download the SupportSpot App
If you’re looking for on-demand guidance, the SupportSpot app is a private, parent-focused platform created by certified child life specialists to help you feel prepared from anywhere.
With SupportSpot, you can:
- Learn what to say before your child’s next doctor’s visit
- Create personalized coping plans for medical procedures
- Track symptoms, pain, and questions for your care team
- Hear real stories from other parents through our podcast
- Share your child’s personality and preferences with doctors
FAQs about Child Life Specialists
With features for children, parents, and health heroes, Child Life On Call empowers users from pre-admission to post-discharge.
What is a child life specialist?
A child life specialist is a trained healthcare professional who helps children and families cope with medical experiences. Using play, education, and emotional support, they help reduce fear, explain what’s happening in kid-friendly ways, and make healthcare feel more manageable for the whole family.
Where do child life specialists work?
Child life specialists are often found in hospitals, outpatient clinics, and pediatric offices. But support doesn’t have to stop at the hospital doors—Child Life Specialists in private practie and apps like SupportSpot bring child life tools and guidance directly to families, wherever they are.
What ages do child life specialists work with?
They work with kids of all ages—from infants and toddlers to teens and young adults. They adjust their approach based on your child’s age, personality, and needs.
Can child life specialists support parents too?
Absolutely. Child life specialists are trained to support you just as much as your child. They can help you prepare your child for appointments, explain medical terms in simple language, and give you tools to be a confident advocate during your child’s care.
Do child life specialists support siblings too?
Yes. Siblings often feel confused, left out, or worried when their brother or sister is receiving medical care. Child life specialists offer age-appropriate explanations, emotional support, and activities that help siblings understand what’s happening and feel included and secure.
Can child life specialists help children of adult patients?
They can. When a parent or loved one is hospitalized, children may experience fear, grief, or confusion. Child life specialists help explain what’s going on, support children through tough emotions, and offer tools to help families stay connected and supported—even during adult healthcare experiences.
Is the SupportSpot app covered by insurance?
SupportSpot is not currently insurance-reimbursable, but it’s an affordable way to get expert child life guidance. You can try it for free for 7 days, and it’s designed to support families who want help preparing their child—without the wait, stress, or hospital visit.
“I showed my patient’s mother the hospital pictures, the diagnosis book lists, the parent podcasts, and some other features of the SupportSpot app. She said “I have been researching Google endlessly for resources and this app has everything I could ever dream of and more!”
Jordan Mahoney, CCLS
Inova Children’s Hospital
“The SupportSpot app provided the reassurance parents needed to advocate for their son with unique needs. Working with a patient on the Autism Spectrum often times requires unique care tailored to the individual as not any two people are the same. The coping plan allowed this patient’s needs to be met in a way that keeps both him and staff safe while ensuring all his sensory needs are communicated and accessible to anyone who is providing care.”
– Daquan Stephenson, CCLS II, Inova Children’s Hospital
