Child Life Program in Wilmington
Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, 1600 Rockland Road, Wilmington, DE 19803
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About
The Department of Child Life, Creative Arts Therapy & School Programs at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware helps patients and their families cope with medical experiences. Our staff promotes the use of play, preparation, education, and self-expression activities as a way to normalize the hospital. Our team of certified Child Life specialists are skilled at supporting children and their families during stressful medical events. We strive to empower children and families, while partnering with them to meet their individual needs.
Email us to request a visit from a Child Life specialist or, if you need immediate assistance, ask your nurse or another team member to contact us.
What We Do
When a child is anxious or overwhelmed, or other children have difficulty understanding what's happening, it can affect everyone. Child Life specialists support the entire family during a medical experience. Our staff provide all kinds of services and support not only to our patients, but also to parents, siblings, and other family members.
Our certified Child Life specialists are trained to understand the different ways children deal with stress, fear, confusion, anger, guilt, and sadness — and help them develop coping strategies specific to their individual needs. We’re also here to provide information, support, and guidance to parents, siblings, and other family members as needed.
Child Life Services
We can help your child cope with an injury, diagnosis, or treatment by encouraging discussion, answering questions, and talking about feelings and concerns.
We work to reduce your child’s fears and anxiety before a procedure or surgery by explaining what will happen and what to expect.
We try to reduce your child’s anxiety by providing distraction and nonmedical pain management.
We try to help your child understand and cope better by playing with pretend or real medical equipment and providing opportunities to share feelings, concerns, and fears.
We strive to ease physical, psychological, and emotional pain with relaxation strategies such as guided imagery and deep breathing.
We use art, music, and play activities to promote your child’s growth, maintain developmental milestones, and provide a creative outlet for dealing with emotions.
Kids of all ages want to explore, play and laugh, no matter where they are — even the hospital. Of course, in the hospital, kids’ choices are limited. That’s why we offer lots of fun Child Life programs and activities to keep all of the children we see, from tots to teens, uplifted and entertained during even the most difficult hospital stay.
We offer comfort, support, and memorial activities for families in the event of a child's death.
Creative Art Therapy
We offer both music therapy and art therapy services. These therapies are evidence-based health services in which music and art are used within a therapeutic relationship to support children’s social, psychological, cognitive, and physical wellness. Learn More
Animal-Assisted Therapy Program
Our hospital has both facility dogs and volunteer pet therapy dogs. Our facility dogs accompany staff handlers and work together to help patients achieve specific goals. Our volunteer pet therapy dogs visit inpatients and outpatients in the hospital for social visits that always bring smiles (and wagging tails). Learn More
Therapeutic Gaming
We have a pediatric gaming technology coordinator who creates gaming and technology experiences for patients and educates clinicians and families on the importance of gaming as a tool for patient distraction and coping. Virtual reality, augmented reality, and traditional gaming are used to keep patients connected to their friends and family and help get patients out of bed and moving while hospitalized. Learn More
School Program
Our School Program provides patients with a sense of normalcy and structure during their hospital stay. Our hospital teachers can provide individualized instruction at the bedside or in our classroom, communicate with your child’s school, and help with return-to-school planning. Learn More
FAQs
Located on the third floor, around the corner from the Family Resource Center, the child life clubhouse is a fun place for patients and families to escape. The clubhouse is a safe haven away from medical procedures, equipment, and exams, where specially trained child life activity coordinators provide normal play activities. Our patients, their families, and visitors can participate in arts and crafts, play with a wide variety of toys and games, read, play video games, take part in cooking activities, and much more.
On each inpatient unit, you'll find a playroom that's stocked with toys and activities. Patients, families, and visitors can use the playrooms to relax, visit, and engage in small group activities. Please ask a child life staff member if you have questions about the playroom on your unit.
From the TV in your child's room, just click on the rollercoaster located on the homepage to find out about child life activities and events on the GetWell Network event’s calendar.
Brothers and sisters can absolutely play too. We just ask that all siblings and visitors under 18 years old be supervised by an adult when visiting the child life clubhouse and playrooms.
