Our Mission

To advance the field of child life through continuing education, scientific inquiry, and innovative practice

Our Vision

Children and families of every race, identity, and community navigate and cope with challenging life events.

Our Values

Integrity - We promote consistent self-awareness, accountability, responsibility, and ethical decision-making. We strive for full transparency in our actions and communications.

Equity - We strive for equitable treatment, opportunities and access to our information and resources for all. We believe achieving equity is only possible in an environment built on respect and dignity.

Inclusivity - We build a culture of belonging by actively inviting the contribution and participation of people of every race, identity, and community. We believe every person’s voice adds value, and we strive to create balance in the face of power differences.

Collaboration – We bring together those with diverse perspectives, experience, and expertise to strengthen and enrich our organization.

Excellence - We integrate scientific evidence, best practices, rigorous standards, and innovation throughout our organization’s work.

Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Definitions

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are core to our mission and who we are as an organization.

Diversity is the representation of all our varied individual and collective identities and differences. We proactively seek out and engage with a variety of perspectives because we believe we can only advance justice when we affirm our similarities and understand and find value in our differences. 

Equity is fair treatment, equitable opportunities, and access to our information and resources for all. We recognize that we do not all start from the same place and must acknowledge and make adjustments to address these imbalances. We believe achieving equity is only possible in an environment built on respect and dignity. 

Inclusion is an environment and culture of belonging that actively invites the contribution and participation of people of every race, identity and community. We believe every person’s voice adds value, and we strive to create balance in the face of power differences. We believe no person can or should be called upon to represent an entire community.