Academic Program Directory
Child Life Academic Programs
These programs are self-identified as having degrees/curriculums in child life. Currently the Child Life Council does not certify educational facilities, therefore the Council claims no responsibility for the academic quality of any program.
AUBURN UNIVERSITY
Dr. Jamie Anderson
Director of Undergraduate Internships
Dept. of Human Development & Family Studies
206 Spidle Hall
Auburn University, AL 36849
phone: 334-844-3217
anderja@auburn.edu
www.auburn.edu
Degree: Undergraduate (Human Development & Family Studies with Child Life Concentration)
AZUSA PACIFIC UNIVERSITY
Dr. Charity Plaxton-Hennings
Program Director
Associate Professor of Child & Health Psychology
901 East Alosta Avenue
Azusa, CA 91702
phone: 626-815-6000 ext. 3118
CPlaxtonHenni@apu.edu
www.apu.edu
Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Psychology: Child Life Specialist Concentration
BALL STATE UNIVERSITY
Dr. Rebecca A. Adams
Program Director
Department of Family & Consumer Sciences
Ball State University
2000 W. University Ave.
Muncie, Indiana 47306
phone: 765-285-5924
badams@bsu.edu
http://www.bsu.edu/fcs/
BANK STREET COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Troy Pinkney-Ragsdale
Director of Child Life Program
Bank Street College of Education
610 W. 112th Street
New York, NY 10025
phone: 212-875-4473
tpinkney-ragsdale@bankstreet.edu
www.bankstreet.edu
Date of Origin: 1988
Degree: Graduate
COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
Dr. David MacPhee
Human Development & Family Studies
Child Life Program
Fort Collins, CO 80523
phone: 970-491-5503
macphee@cahs.colostate.edu
www.colostate.edu
Date of Origin: 1975
Degree: Undergraduate, Graduate
EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
Priti P. Desai, MSc, MPH, CCLS
Child Life Major
Dept. of Child Development & Family Relations
College of Human Ecology
Greenville, NC 27858-4354
phone: 252-328-2866
desaip@ecu.edu
http://www.ecu.edu/che/cdfr/childlife.html
Date of Origin: 1990
Degree: Undergraduate, Graduate
EDGEWOOD COLLEGE
Lois Pearson, MEd, CCLS
Dept. of Education, Child Life Major
1000 Edgewood College Drive
Madison , WI 53711-1997
phone: 414-266-3295 or 608-663-4861 (college)
lpearson@chw.org
or
Jennifer Ransom (Academic Advisor)
phone: 608-663-4269
jransom@edgewood.edu
Date of Origin: 1970
Degree: Undergraduate
ERIKSON INSTITUTE
Sharon Syc, Ph.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor
Co-Director Infant Specialist Certificate Program
420 N. Wabash Ave., 6th FL
Chicago, IL 60611
phone: 312-893-7187
ssyc@erikson.edu
www.erikson.edu
Degree: Graduate (child development)
GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY
Dr. Jerri Kropp
Dept. of Family and Consumer Sciences
P.O. Box 8021
Statesboro, GA 30460
phone: 912-681-5537 or 912-681-5809
jkropp@georgiasouthern.edu
www.georgiasouthern.edu
Date of Origin: 1993
Degree: Undergraduate (Child & Family Development)
ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY
Julie A. Maschhoff
Child Life Program Directory, Human Development/Family Resource Sequence Coordinator
Family Consumer Science Department
Normal, IL 61790-5060
phone: 309-438-5435
jamasch@ilstu.edu
http://www.cast.ilstu.edu/fcs/child_life/index.shtml
Degree: Undergraduate, Graduate
LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY
Michelle Minyard-Widmann, MS, CCLS
Department of Counseling and Family Sciences
Child Life Program
Loma Linda, CA 92354
Phone: (909) 558-4547 x 47072
maminyard@.llu.edu
www.llu.edu/llu/grad/mfam/mschildlife
Degree: MS or certificate in Child Life
LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
Anita H. Pumphrey, CCLS, Co-Prog. Coord
School of Human Ecology
PO Box 3167
Ruston, LA 71272
phone: 318-257-4517
pumphrey@ans.latech.edu
http://www.latech.edu/ans/human-ecology/
Date of Origin: 1990
Degree: Undergraduate, Graduate in Family and Child Studies
McMASTER UNIVERSITY
Paola Di Lalla, CCLS, Co-Director
Child Life Studies Diploma Program
Child Life Studies Distance Learning
Faculty of Health Sciences #HSC2E7
1200 Main Street, West
Hamilton, Ontario
Canada L8N 3Z5
phone: 905-525-9140 x 22795
dilalla@mcmaster.ca
www.fhs.mcmaster.ca/childlife
Date of Origin: 1989
Degree: Postprofessional Diploma Programme
MILLS COLLEGE
Annie Neves
Department of Education
Child Life Program
Oakland, CA 94613-1301
phone: 510-430-3190
education@mills.edu
www.mills.edu
Date of Origin: 1978
Degree: Undergraduate, Graduate
MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY
Dr. Jan Cooper-Taylor
School of Human Sciences
P.O. Box 9745
Mississippi State, MS 39762
phone: 662-325-7690
jctaylor@humansci.msstate.edu
www.msstate.edu
MONTCLAIR STATE UNIVERSITY
Marti Kennedy, PhD, Professor
Department of Human Ecology
One Valley Road
Upper Montclair, NJ 07043
phone: 973-655-4371
pendolal@mail.montclair.edu
http://cehs.montclair.edu/
Date of Origin: 1998
Degree: Undergraduate
MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY
Kathy Bernet, MS
Instructor, Early Childhood & Family Development
901 S. National Avenue
Springfield, MO 65806
phone: 417-836-5341
kab556f@msu.edu or KathyBernet@missouristate.edu
http://www.missouristate.edu/
Date of Origin: Child Life, 1987; Early Childhood and Family Specialization, 1963
Degree: Undergraduate, Specialization in Child Life
OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY
Tim Passmore, Ed.D., CTRS
Assistant Professor
Applied Health & Education Psychology
Colvin Center
Stillwater, OK 74078
phone: 405-744-1811
tim.passmore@okstate.edu
Degree: Undergraduate academic program offering Child Life Therapy Option
PURDUE UNIVERSITY
Kim Nelson-Blackburn, MSW, LCSW
Youth, Adult and Family Services
Dept. of Child Devel. and Family Studies
Fowler Memorial House, Room 125 B
1200 West State Street
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2055
phone: 765-494-2944
kimnb@purdue.edu
www.cfs.purdue.edu/CDFS
Date of Origin: Approx. 1978
Degree: Undergraduate
SAMFORD UNIVERSITY
Dr. Clara Gerhardt
Chair and Professor: Dept. Family Studies
Academic Advisor for Family Studies: Dr Kristie Chandler
School of Education & Professional Studies
800 Lakeshore Drive
Birmingham, AL 35229-2239
phone: 205-726-2843 / 2087
kbchandl@samford.edu
http://dlserver.samford.edu/fams/index.htm
Date of Origin: Program is being phased out by end 2009.
Degree: Undergraduate
SUNY AT STONYBROOK
Dr. Joan Kuchner
Director, Child & Family Studies
Psychology Department
Psy B 144
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY 11794-2500
phone: 631-632-7695
jkuchner@notes.cc.sunysb.edu
SPRINGFIELD COLLEGE
Dr. Donald R. Snyder, Graduate Coord.
Therapeutic Recreation/Child Life
Dept. of Recreation & Tourism Mgmt.
Springfield, MA 01109
phone: 413-748-3272 or 413-748-3693
www.spfldcol.edu
Date of Origin: Child Life, 1985; Therapeutic Recreation, 1940
Degree: Undergraduate, Graduate
TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY-SAN MARCOS
Dr. Elizabeth Morgan Russell
Coordinator Graduate Child Life Track
Department of Family and Consumer Sciences
Texas State University-San Marcos
601 University Drive
San Marcos, Texas 78666-4616
phone: 512-245-2414
fax: 512-245-3829
er15@txstate.edu
www.txstate.edu
Degree: Graduate (Family and Child Studies)
TOWSON UNIVERSITY
Lisa A. Martinelli Beasley, MPS, ATR-BC, CCLS
Family Studies Department Building
8000 York Road
Towson, MD 21252
phone: 410-703-3766
lmartinelli@towson.edu
www.towson.edu/fmst
Degree: Undergraduate (Family Studies)
UNIVERSITY OF AKRON
Rose Resler, MA, CCLS
Director of Child Life Specialist Program
School of Family & Consumer Sciences
215 J Schrank Hall South
Akron, OH 44325-6103
phone: 330-972-8040
rresler@uakron.edu
www.uakron.edu
Date of Origin: 1979
Degree: Undergraduate, Graduate
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
Peggy O. Jessee, PhD, CCLS
Dept. of Human Devel. & Family Studies
P.O. Box 870158
Tuscaloosa, AL 35486
phone: 205-348-8150 or 205-348-6158
pjessee@ches.ua.edu
www.ches.ua.edu
Date of Origin: 1980
Degree: Undergraduate, Graduate
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
Dr. David Wright
Graduate Coordinator
Department of Child and Family Development
Dawson Hall
Athens, GA 30602
phone: 706-542-4825
dwright@fcs.uga.edu
www.fcs.uga.edu
Date of Origin: 1980
Degree: Undergraduate, Graduate (Child & Family Devel., emphasis in Child Life)
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
Debra Shelton Medlyn
Dept. of Human Devel. & Family Services
HCD, Agric., Consumer & Envir. Sci. College
1105 W. Nevada Street
Urbana, IL 61801
d-medlyn@uiuc.edu
www.uiuc.edu
Date of Origin: 1986
Degree: Undergraduate in HDFS
UNIVERSITY OF LA VERNE
Leslie Ann Young, CCLS
Child Life Program, Education Department
1950 3rd Street
La Verne, CA 91750
phone: 909-593-3511 x4640 (at university) or 909/558-8212 (at hospital)
young1@ulv.edu
http://www.ulv.edu/
Degree: Undergraduate, Graduate
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA
Nora Hager, MA, CCLS
Child Life Program Coordinator
Dept. of Human Development and Family Studies
314 Gentry Hall
Columbia, MO 65211-7700
phone: 573-884-5997
hagern@missouri.edu
http://www.missouri.edu/~hdfswww/
Date of Origin: 1983
Degree: Undergraduate, Graduate
Child Life Graduate teaching fellowship available
UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH
Judith Narr
Child Development & Child Care
Psychology in Education
5C32 Wesley Posvar Hall
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
phone: 412-624-6909
narr@pitt.edu
http://www.education.pitt.edu/adp/
Degree: Undergraduate, Graduate
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
Julie Parker, CCLS
College of Health & Human Sciences
School of Family & Consumer Sciences
USM Box 5035
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-5035
phone: 601-266-6108
Julie.Cooley-Parker@usm.edu
www.usm.edu
Date of Origin: 1990
Degree: Undergraduate
UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
Laura Gaynard, PhD, CCLS
Child Life Director, Primary Children's Med. Ctr.
Adjunct Faculty
Department of Family & Consumer Studies
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
phone: 801-588-3607
www.utah.edu
Date of Origin: 1989
Degree: Undergraduate, Graduate
UTICA COLLEGE
Melodee Moltman, MS, Ed, CCLS
Psychology/Child Life Department
1600 Burrstone Road
Utica, NY 13502-4892
phone: 315-792-3090
mmoltman@utica.edu
www.utica.edu
Date of Origin: 1978
Degree: Undergraduate
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
Vicki S. Harris, PhD
Program Director
Department of Psychology and Human Development
Peabody College of Education
Vanderbilt University
Peabody #512
230 Appleton Place
Nashville, TN 37203-5721
phone: 615-343-1896
vicki.s.harris@vanderbilt.edu
http://peabody.vanderbilt.edu/psychology/med.htm
Date of Origin: 2003
Degree: Graduate (Child Studies, Pediatrics Health Care concentration)
WHEELOCK COLLEGE
Claire White
Coordinator of Undergraduate Child Life Program
Virginia Coleman
Coordinator of Graduate Child Life Program
200 The Riverway
Boston, MA 02215
phone: 617-879-2206
undergrad@wheelock.edu
graduate@wheelock.edu
www.wheelock.edu
Date of Origin: 1972
Degree: Undergraduate, Graduate
These programs are self-identified as having degrees/curriculums in child life. Currently the Child Life Council does not certify educational facilities, therefore the Council claims no responsibility for the academic quality of any program