Child Life

UNC Children’s child life specialists and recreational therapists will work closely with you and other members of the care team to help your child with their healthcare experiences and to provide therapeutic play opportunities during his or her stay at N.C. Children’s Hospital.

You can trust your child is getting safe, effective child life services, because our child life specialists are nationally certified by the Child Life Certifying Commission, and our licensed recreational therapists are certified by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification.

Certified Child Life Specialists

UNC Children’s offers child life specialists who are skilled at identifying and helping to treat children’s unique psychosocial needs. Child life specialists will work with you and the rest of the healthcare team to:

• Provide non-medical preparation and support to children undergoing tests, surgeries, and other procedures
• Help children with anxiety, pain, coping and adjustment to hospitalization/healthcare encounters in developmentally appropriate ways
• Help children with medication compliance (related to anxiety or behavior)
• Foster an emotionally supportive environment
• Consider the needs of siblings who may be affected by a child’s illness or injury

Play Facilities

Your child will be able to attend N.C. Children’s Hospital’s many play facilities as long as his/her medical condition allows. In these recreational spaces, your child will find calm, fun, and friendly environments that offer opportunities for emotional expression, physical activity, social interaction, and healing through play. These facilities include:

• Recreational therapy room – A designated space for one-on-one and small group activities
• Sigma Sigma Sigma Foundation’s Robbie Page Play Atrium – An indoor recreation area with play facilities and lots of natural light
• Alan David Stiles, MD, Lookout Terrace – A secure, accessible outdoor space themed after North Carolina’s natural places from mountains to coast
• Charles Goren Music Room – A place to play or listen to music; includes musical instruments and music-related video games
• Jason Clark Teen Activity Center – A game room and teen lounge for older kids that features a pool and air hockey table; computers, video game consoles and arcade games, board games, and a kitchen.

For children confined to their hospital rooms for medical reasons, our staff will work with you and other members of the care team to bring medically appropriate recreation to them at the bedside. If you have questions, be sure to ask your nurse.

Special Activities and Events

Your child will still be able to do many things while admitted to the Children’s Hospital. These may include arts and crafts, video games, imaginative play and music activities. There are often special groups that may come and do activities in the play facilities with our patients. We also have visits from local celebrities on occasion. The facilities and the activities within have been designed to meet the desires and play needs of the children admitted to UNC.