Child Life Month

March is Child Life Month. Some of you may ask “What is Child Life?” or “What is a Certified Child Life Specialist?” 

The Child Life Department is where we focus our support in children’s hospitals. A Child Life Specialist is a person who the children look for when they want to play or when they are uncertain of what is happening. They are the person who helps the children feel safe during their stay. A Child Life Specialist helps patients still feel like a kid when they are stuck in the hospital. 

This year’s quarter one grant period we were able to fund four Gaming Technology Specialists. When we first started visiting children’s hospitals we saw a need for a position within the Child Life Department that could take over the maintenance of the gaming equipment and to even help research new ways gaming technology can help children during their stay. So far Child’s Play has funded 18 positions in the last 4 years, and we hope that one day this position will be in every children’s hospital.

The work of Child Life Specialists is so very important, especially during this time of social distancing where hospitals are limiting who can visit. Therapy dogs or costumed characters who normally make the rounds might not be allowed during this time. Gaming Technology Specialists are being used to help Child Life and other departments get remote interaction tools up and running. This way essential services like child life, music therapy, etc can keep going with the help of telepresence robots, webcams, and other virtual presence devices.

We thought a perfect way to help celebrate Child Life Month would be to hold a special fundraising day where you can give back. Gamers Give Back Day is this March 28th, which is this Saturday! You can still sign up to participate in Gamers Give Back Day. If you cannot participate this Saturday no worries, this fundraiser will be open all year so everyone can take part when it fits their schedule.

Another way to participate is to support one of the many streamers taking part in Gamers Give Back Day. Make sure to tune into the Donor Drive event page to see who is streaming for us.

Play Games, Feel Better.®️