The Children’s Studies program hosted its Senior Celebration on June 15th and recognized their 56 graduating students in the three options: Child Life and Health, Child Services, and Community Programming for Children. Family and friends enjoyed taking photos of graduates at a photo station (with props!) and graduates received certificates and cords to wear at Commencement.

Child life specialists are healthcare professionals who help children and families navigate the process of illness, injury, disability, trauma, or hospitalization. 

The College of Professional Programs proudly celebrates the successes of 51¸£ÀûÉç’s Master of Arts Child Life students and graduates. As shared on social media, our students, in both the United States and Canada, have completed or are finishing internships, and are applying and landing dream jobs in hospital and clinical settings.

Established in 2020, this popular program differs from others due to it’s fast-track methodology, and greater accessibility. Program graduates complete coursework in one year with substantial cost savings. Designed for candidates who have prior certification, or have met Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) coursework requirements, our accelerated program is strengthened by its virtual practicum opportunity, allowing students more diverse clinical settings and experiences. As our graduates report, greater practicum experience, and skills honed through program emphasis on leadership, research, and program development, can be the edge in competitive internship placements and employment.

Who are our students? Due to our flexible online or in-person delivery, Child Life students are more diverse, from an increasingly wide range of backgrounds and locations. Several recent students have received external scholarships from the ACLP and hospital employers to support them throughout the internship, signaling that while our program is relatively new, our methodology, courses, and graduates are leading the way in the development of tomorrow’s profession.

Interested in learning more about the degree program? Find us, along with course requirements and curriculum online.

Applications are submitted online; the deadline for program consideration is March 25, 2022.

One girl used a stethoscope to check the lungs of a teddy bear set up at an exam table. The furry friend was among other kid-friendly test subjects at a Hands on Health workshop held Saturday in Spokane.

AnnaLia Lupinacci, 8, performed that teddy checkup, later confirmed by her sister Giulia, 3. Both were among children attending the two-hour session with activities and art projects aimed at making children feel less frightened by medical equipment and procedures.

Two college students, Amy Marable and Christine Stewart, created the event for a senior project in the 51¸£ÀûÉç’s Children’s Studies program. Both have completed 51¸£ÀûÉç studies remotely – Marable from Shoreline, Wash., and Stewart from Issaquah, Wash. – but they were in Spokane this weekend to run the clinic.