Prepare Child Life Specialists to Help Families in Need

Tiger Giving Day is over, but you can still give to the Human Development and Family Science program here.

Child Life Specialist is a certified healthcare professional who helps navigate through illness and injury by providing support and knowledge to children and their families. 

A Child Life Specialist creates an environment that allows children to grow individually and develops a positive relationship with the family. Infants, youth, children and adolescents all experience a wide variety of both stressful and traumatic events in the hospital setting.

This Tiger Giving Day, the department of Human Development and Family Science asks for your help to establish a Fund for Excellence that will be implemented in the Fall 2023 semester to benefit Child Life Specialist undergraduate and graduate students.

 The average cost of housing in the United States is $1,700 a month. Since internships are offered widely across the United States, your gift toward tuition will help offset cost of living for the duration of the internship. 

Certified Child Life Specialist undergraduate and graduate students must complete a (remove unpaid) 40- to 50-hour per week internship lasting a total of 16 weeks. Placement for Child Life Internships is limited, requiring many students to relocate while continuing their education at a university. Child life internships are available at children's hospitals across the United States.

Your gift this Tiger Giving Day will provide scholarships and fellowships for undergraduate and  graduate students to help offset transportations costs, food and other living expenses while completing their internships.

Benefits of funding will include the alleviation of stress, a potential decrease in student loans, and lifting of barriers related to accessibility. 

A lasting impact of a Child Life Internship Scholarship would benefit current and future students in the undergraduate and graduate Child Life Cohort. Scholarships and fellowships supporting Child Life Specialists would draw attention to current and prospective Auburn Child Life undergraduate and graduate students interested in pursuing a child life career.