PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE

With our annual child life conference around the corner, we are excited to connect with our attendees, presenters, exhibitors, and sponsors in person. During the days leading up to the conference, the ACLP Board of Directors will meet in-person for the June 2023 Board meeting. Each group has submitted a Board report that communicates a summary of their progress since their Fall 2022 Board report and applicable action items for the Board (i.e., recommendations, requests for direction/clarity). We look forward to reviewing the reports and all the great work our committees, task forces, and work groups have done.

One agenda item for the June Board meeting is Academic Endorsement and Internship Accreditation. Both programs have been on a hiatus since the November 2021 Board meeting. During this time, the Board has conducted a comprehensive and evidence-based review to assess the viability and sustainability of our internship accreditation and academic endorsement programs as they exist today. External consultants were engaged in helping us gather and evaluate the best possible evidence to guide the ACLP Board’s decision-making around the future of internship accreditation and academic endorsement. The Board looks forward to discussions around the future of both programs during our June 2023 Board meeting.

In March 2023, the ACLP’s Staffing Crisis and Pathway to the Profession Think Tank proved to be a productive and invigorating event. The think tank focused on two of our top priorities: enhancing the pathway to our profession as well as promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, which aligned with our 2022-2024 strategic plan. To ensure diverse representation, ACLP leadership carefully selected participants from all our stakeholder groups, including academic and program leaders, internship and rotation supervisors, and aspiring professionals.

We encouraged all participants to share their unique perspectives and experiences from their various roles. This allowed for a better understanding of the challenges facing our profession and the perspectives of other stakeholder groups. Lowell Aplebaum, FASAE, CAE, CPT, CEO from Vista Cova facilitated our two-day event, and he encouraged us to think big, innovatively, and differently. The
group brainstormed recommendations that ACLP can implement, influence, and introduce to create positive change. Even though the ACLP does not have the authority or ability to implement changes within hospitals or academic institutions, ACLP is a key stakeholder in this conversation and gathered a diverse group to facilitate a collaborative conversation to be able to explore ways that ACLP can better support the child life profession and optimize ACLP resources from financial, staffing, and committee focus perspectives. Draft recommendations and an operational plan will be presented to the ACLP Board of Directors for consideration at the June 2023 Board meeting.

This spring, we launched the new Pre-Internship Modules. These modules replaced our previous practicum standards and were designed to elevate inclusive pre-internship experiences, connect learning to our new internship readiness knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs), diversify and expand the pathway to the profession opportunities, and help aspiring professionals attain pre-internship academic requirements. Pre-internship experiences may include traditional hospital pre-internship placements while also encompassing broader community-based settings and experiences with non-CCLS supervisors who work with children and families in stressful situations. Aspiring professionals or supervisors can apply the modules to guide learning and KSA preparation. Portions of modules can be extracted, or they may be adapted or used in their entirety, in any order that makes sense for the pre-learning experiences.

“ACLP recognizes that practicums have become a barrier within the pathway to the child life profession. Pre-internship experiences are not required by the Child Life Certification Commission, and ACLP does not endorse practicums or other pre-internship programs. These modules are designed for sites and learners who may find them supportive.” ~ACLP Pre-Internship Executive Summary

As my presidency comes to a close, I will be forever grateful for the ACLP and our child life community. As a young professional, I started volunteering on ACLP committees and have always loved and appreciated the opportunity to gain new knowledge and skills, to build connections and relationships throughout the child life community, and to contribute to the advancement of the profession. I never imagined I would one day be serving in the ACLP President role. It has been an honor and a privilege to work alongside our strong and dynamic Board of Directors, committee leaders, and ACLP staff, to serve our child life community, and to collectively lead positive change within the pathway to the profession, continue integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion into the interworking of our association, and further cultivate partnership development, awareness of the child life profession, and excellence in professional practice.

With sincere gratitude,

Lindsay K. Heering, MS, CCLS
ACLP President

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