Child Life Services
The Child Life Services Department provides developmental, emotional and educational support to pediatric inpatients and their families.
Child Life Specialists and credentialed teachers (Special Ed and Multi subject) provide opportunities for children to learn more about their medical experiences, have normal play and school experiences and maximize effective coping and adjustment in the hospital environment.
The Goals of the Child Life Department support the UCSF Medical Center mission of "Caring, Healing, Teaching and Discovering". The Child Life Services staff strive to promote optimum growth and development of the child as well as minimize the anxiety and stress associated with illness and hospitalization. It is our goal to make hospitalization a positive experience by providing opportunities for play, learning, continued schooling, self-expression, family involvement and peer interaction. The goal of our department (fiscal year 03-04) is to increase the monthly amount of pre-admission preparations by 15%.
Services are offered to patients ranging in age from infancy to adolescence and their families. Daily programming hours are structured to meet the unique needs of infants, toddlers, pre-schoolers, school-agers and adolescents as well as family members.