Protecting Children and Families.
Strengthening Child Life.
Ensuring Child Life services in Texas are delivered by qualified, certified professionals with clear public accountability.
A patient safety and quality-of-care initiative led by Child Life professionals.
"Statutory licensure can enhance a patient's experience and improve the quality of care for our most vulnerable."
— Troy L. Duker, Children's Hospital Association of Texas
Endorsed by leading organizations
Why Child Life Licensure
Is Needed
When families enter a hospital during their most vulnerable moments, they deserve the assurance that every professional caring for their child has met rigorous standards of training and competency.
In Texas, the title "Child Life Specialist" is not currently protected.
Without title protection, anyone can claim to be a Child Life Specialist—regardless of their qualifications. This puts children and families at risk of receiving care from individuals who lack the specialized education in child development, trauma-informed practice, and evidence-based interventions that authentic Child Life training provides.
Licensure protects families by ensuring only properly trained professionals can provide psychosocial support during their child's most critical healthcare moments.
What Child Life Licensure Does
— and Does Not — Do
Licensure Does
- Protect the Child Life Specialist title
- Build on existing CCLS certification
- Establish state-level accountability
- Support patient safety and quality care
- Create clarity for hospitals and families
Licensure Does Not
- Replace certification
- Create a new exam
- Change daily clinical practice
- Mandate reimbursement
- Prevent qualified professionals from practicing
"Certification demonstrates competence.
Licensure provides public accountability."
Who Benefits From
Licensure
Children & Families
Families deserve to know that the professionals supporting their child are qualified, certified, and accountable.
Healthcare Systems
Hospitals benefit from clear hiring standards, reduced risk, and consistent role expectations.
Child Life Specialists
Licensure protects professional standards while reinforcing—not replacing—existing certification.
A Collaborative,
Patient-Centered Approach
This initiative is clinician-led, family-centered, and focused on collaboration—not conflict.
We are working alongside Child Life professionals, healthcare leaders, and policymakers to establish thoughtful, realistic standards that protect vulnerable populations while supporting healthcare systems.
Timeline of
Progress
Foundation Established
The Texas Health and Human Services' Palliative Care Interdisciplinary Advisory Council (PCIAC) formally recommended licensure for Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLSs) in Texas, recognizing the need for regulation to protect children and families receiving psychosocial support services.
Legislative Action Initiated
The first licensure bill (SB 2886) was filed in the 89th Legislative Session, officially placing CCLS regulation on the state's legislative agenda and establishing precedent for future efforts.
Building Professional Coalition
The initiative secured endorsements from key stakeholders including Child Life On Call LLC, Hearts Connected LLC, and the Southern Association of Child Life Professionals (SACLP), demonstrating unified support from the professional community.
Strategic Pivot
Following the close of the 89th Session, the Task Force regrouped and committed to a focused approach: filing a streamlined licensure-only bill for the 90th Legislative Session beginning January 2027.
Medical Community Alignment
The Texas Medical Association (TMA) approved a resolution supporting CCLS licensure, bringing critical physician backing to the effort. Formal submission for adoption by the House of Delegates began January 2026.
Stakeholder Engagement
Listening sessions were conducted with major Texas children's hospitals—including Texas Children's Hospital-Austin, Children's Health-Dallas and Plano, Cook Children's-Fort Worth, and Dell Children's Medical Center-Austin—to gather frontline input and build institutional support.
Child Life Month Officially Proclaimed in Texas
Governor Greg Abbott officially proclaimed March as Child Life Month in Texas, marking a historic milestone of statewide recognition for Certified Child Life Specialists and the vital psychosocial support they provide to children and families in healthcare settings.
Legislative Rounding — North Texas
During initial legislative rounding in North Texas, the Task Force met with the offices of Senator Nathan Johnson, Senator Tan Parker, Senator Molly Cook, Senator Bob Hall, Representative Toni Rose, Representative Candy Noble, Representative Morgan Meyer, and Representative Katrina Pierson to build support for CCLS licensure ahead of the 90th Legislative Session.
Austin Legislative Meetings
In mid-July, the team conducted a series of meetings in Austin, meeting with the offices of Senator Borris L. Miles, Senator César J. Blanco, and Senator Lois Kolkhorst, as well as a virtual meeting with the office of Representative Tom Oliverson, to advance the licensure bill.
Hover over each milestone to learn more
Why Licensure
Matters to Us
Read more in-depth stories from Texas healthcare professionals and families in our Community Letters.
"I have been both the physician and mother directly seeing how Child Life Specialists have impacted care. From a physician perspective, we have been able to complete many more cardiac scans without subjecting children to the risks associated with general anesthesia with the help of Child Life. This is certainly safer for the general population, but particularly for our complex congenital heart patient population who often have additional risk factors for sedation / anesthesia. From the mother perspective, child life helped explain how my daughter's pre-operative prep would proceed. They even gave her a mask (berry flavored) to take home. She showed her friends and family and was completely at ease when the day of the operation arrived. Not only is it ease, peace of mind, it is also about safety and providing the best possible care for our patients. "
"The Texas Legislature should establish licensing requirements for child life specialists in both adult and pediatric settings, in hospitals and within the community, that fall within the scope of support for CCLSs."
"I am in full support of licensure for Certified Child Life Specialists in Texas, to protect the public and specifically our Texas children and families; and to ensure they have access to psychosocial support from a competent, qualified Certified Child Life Specialist."
"Your heart lives outside of you, and your child is paramount. Licensing would ensure that families can trust that the professionals helping their children are qualified and held to the highest standards."
"Licensure is a critical step in ensuring that every Child Life Specialist in Texas meets the same high standards that families deserve. This protects both the profession and the children we serve."
"Licensure ensures families know they're working with qualified professionals during the most vulnerable moments of their lives. It's about protecting the children we serve."
Common
Questions
Is this about pay or reimbursement?
No. This effort is focused solely on licensure and title protection.
Does this replace CCLS certification?
No. Licensure builds on national certification—it does not replace it.
Will this change how Child Life Specialists practice day to day?
No. Licensure does not dictate productivity, clinical models, or scope beyond existing standards.