Child Life Practicum Program

Thank you for your interest in the practicum program with the child life department at Novant Health Hemby Children’s Hospital. The practicum provides college and university students with an introductory experience for those pursuing a career as a child life professional.

As a practicum student, experiential learning and observing certified child life specialists will allow you to begin to increase your knowledge of basic skills related to play, developmental assessment and integration of child life theory into interventions with children of all ages and their families.

Through these experiences, you can enhance your knowledge of the child life profession and investigate the process of applying child life and developmental theory into practice.

The practicum is structured so that you complete 16 hours per week for eight weeks during the summer semester, from May until August. These hours may include evenings and weekends.

If you complete a practicum at Hemby Children’s Hospital, you will be ineligible to apply for a child life internship at our facility.

Eligibility requirements

You must be/have:

• A college or university student enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program related to child life, child development, human development, family studies or psychology
• Completed at least five college-level courses that meet the Association of Child Life Professionals’ (ACLP) requirements
• A minimum overall GPA of 3.0 and a major GPA of at least 3.5
• Completed at least 50 volunteer and/or work hours in a pediatric hospital or a related facility (Related facilities include medical camps, rehabilitation centers, hospices and educational settings for children with complex medical needs.)

How to apply

Summer semester deadlines and dates

• Application deadline: January 15
• Acceptance deadline: March 1
• Months of placement: May to August

Submit your application

Mail your application to:

Novant Health Hemby Children's Hospital
200 Hawthorne Lane, 2N Child Life
Charlotte, NC 28204