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Child Life Assistant Jobs in Florida (NOW HIRING)

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Child Life Assistant information

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How much do child life assistant jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 12, 2026, the average hourly pay for child life assistant in Florida is $12.51, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $10.77 and $13.46 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

How does a child life assistant typically collaborate with child life specialists and healthcare teams to support pediatric patients?

Child Life Assistants work closely with Child Life Specialists and other healthcare professionals to create a supportive environment for children in medical settings. They help implement therapeutic play activities, prepare materials, and assist with distraction techniques during procedures. Regular communication and teamwork with nurses, doctors, and Child Life Specialists are essential to ensure the emotional and developmental needs of pediatric patients are met. This collaborative approach helps provide holistic care and enhances the overall hospital experience for children and their families.

What is a child life assistant?

Child Life Assistants are healthcare professionals who support Child Life Specialists in helping children and families cope with hospitalization, illness, and medical procedures. They assist in providing therapeutic play, activities, and emotional support to pediatric patients. Their role includes preparing play materials, interacting with children, maintaining a safe play environment, and supporting the psychosocial needs of young patients. Child Life Assistants work in hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare settings to make the hospital experience less stressful for children.

What does a child life assistant do?

The job duties of a child life assistant involve providing support for children and their families when they are in a hospital or receiving inpatient medical care in a healthcare facility. Your responsibilities in this career include planning activities for a patient based on their interests, physical abilities, and psychological and social needs. You may involve therapeutic play that is meant to reduce stress and give patients, parents, and siblings normal interactions and experiences while they are in a hospital setting. As a child life assistant, you may also distribute donations of toys and coordinate volunteers and celebrity visits.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a child life assistant, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Child Life Assistant, you need a background in child development or a related field, often accompanied by relevant coursework or experience in pediatric care settings. Familiarity with hospital protocols, educational play tools, and documentation systems is typically required. Compassion, patience, and strong communication skills help build trust with children and support collaboration with healthcare teams. These abilities are crucial for providing emotional support, reducing anxiety, and ensuring a positive experience for young patients in medical environments.
What are the most commonly searched types of Child Life jobs in Florida? The most popular types of Child Life jobs in Florida are:
What are popular job titles related to Child Life Assistant jobs in Florida? For Child Life Assistant jobs in Florida, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What cities in Florida are hiring for Child Life Assistant jobs? Cities in Florida with the most Child Life Assistant job openings:
Infographic showing various Child Life Assistant job openings in Florida as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 65% Full Time, and 35% Part Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $26,012 per year, or $12.5 per hour.

Child Life Specialist - Child Life &Allied Therapy

Orlando Health

Orlando, FL

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 24 days ago


Orlando Health rating

7.4

Company rating: 7.4 out of 10

Based on 616 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

268th of 887 rated healthcare providers


Job description


Position Summary

Orlando Health Offers Great NEW Competitive Pay and Great Benefits Package that Includes:

  • Medical, Dental, Vision
  • 403(b) Retirement Savings Plan
  • Health Savings Account (HSA)
  • Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
  • Paid Time Off (up to 5 weeks to start)
  • Life Insurance
  • Extended Leave Plan (ELP)
  • Family Care (childcare, elder care, pet care)
  • Paid Parental Leave
  • Pet Insurance
  • Car Insurance
  • Educational Benefits including tuition reimbursement & monthly payments to help pay down any graduated school debt

Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children

 

Providing compassionate care to the children, teenagers and young adults of Central Florida for more than 30 years, Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children is located on the downtown Orlando campus and includes 156 licensed beds for specialized care for children as well as the Bert Martin’s Champions for Children Emergency Department & Trauma Center, offering trauma care for children as the pediatric site of the Orlando Health ORMC Level One Trauma Center. State-of-the-art pediatric services are provided by a comprehensive staff that includes pediatric subspecialty physicians and a nursing team that is “Magnet” recognized for nursing excellence and high-quality patient care. The hospital also has earned national recognition for 12 consecutive years as a “Best Children’s Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report and was included, together with Orlando Health ORMC, in the IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals® list for 2021.

Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children seeking a Child  Life Specialist.  Child Life Specialist assesses for and provides therapeutically supportive interventions for patients and families by utilizing theories of human growth and development, family systems and biopsychosocial models as outlined by child life professional standards of practice. Focuses on helping children and adolescents master challenging life events through promotion of play, education and preparation throughout the health care experience. 

  • Must have Child Life Specialist Internship, or experience.
  • This position will support the children’s emergency department and trauma center at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children.  The shift work includes working four (4) 10 hour shifts per week. 
  •  

Location: Arnold Palmer Hospitail 

Shift:  Full-Time (Monday -Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 PM) 


Responsibilities

Essential Functions


Demonstrates knowledge and ability to provide clinical support/education to patients and families of all age groups.
Uses basic knowledge around formal and informal assessment techniques to accurately determine patients’ developmental and emotional status, and documents such as indicated.
Verbalizes developmental theory to support assessments and interventions with patients and families.
Uses resources to accommodate cultural and communication/language needs to provide comprehensive care.
Provides age appropriate, non-pharmacological pain management techniques to patients to optimize outcomes.
Uses developmentally appropriate and medically accurate teaching strategies to ensure that cognitive and emotional needs are supported prior to, during and following invasive and perceived threatening procedures and surgeries.
Provides parental guidance regarding impact of illness, hospitalization, treatment and bereavement.
Determines and prioritizes the needs and scope of child life services for each patient and family members, i.e. siblings.
Provides direction to Child Life Assistants and Child Life Volunteers related to patient care activity and services. Provides a therapeutic and safe environment for individuals and groups, ages 0-21. 
Utilizes therapeutic play, both in group settings and one-on-one interactions to facilitate a child’s mastery of and coping with the health care experience.
Ensures a safe, appropriate and child-friendly environment within the play spaces.
Aware of patient safety issues in the health care environment and demonstrates such awareness.
Adheres to hospital policy regarding patient confidentiality and infection control. Represents and communicates child life and psychosocial issues of pediatric health care.
Participates in Child Life student experiences.
Serves as a subject matter expert about the work of child life to various tour groups visiting the hospital.
Recommends/provides programs and resources to curriculum/training of health care staff, students and volunteers. Assists with programs that involve the community for purposes of enhancing the patient experience.
Helps provide input for community service projects such as donations of supplies, entertainment and recreational experiences.
Collaborates with internal stakeholders to ensure good communication and compliance with OH requirements.
Effectively serves as a liaison between a community partner and the patients/families for purposes of facilitating meaningful introductions and interactions between them.
Contributes to post-event assessment to determine whether changes are warranted in the future for continued enhancement to the patient experience. Maintains professional practice standards and engagement:
Conducts self-evaluation and participates in establishing professional goals.
Adheres to the professional code of ethics of the Association of Child Life Professionals.

Consistently follows Code of Conduct Standards and compliance with all department/hospital performance requirements.
Demonstrates a positive professional attitude and cooperatively and constructively relates to all patients, families, guests, and other health care members.
Respects and supports patient/family’s rights and advocates for patient/families.
Maintains compliance with all Orlando Health policies and procedures.


Qualifications

Education/Training


Bachelor’s degree in child Life, Child Development, Early Childhood Education, Therapeutic Recreation, Family and Child Studies or related field. Successful completion of a specific child life student internship.


Licensure/Certification


Must maintain professional certification as a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) as awarded by the Child Life Certifying Commission; or eligible to sit for the CCLS exam and successfully complete within first year of
employment.
Maintains current BLS/HealthCare Provider certification.


Experience


None. 

Previous experience preferred. 

Qualifications:

Education/Training


Bachelor’s degree in child Life, Child Development, Early Childhood Education, Therapeutic Recreation, Family and Child Studies or related field. Successful completion of a specific child life student internship.


Licensure/Certification


Must maintain professional certification as a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) as awarded by the Child Life Certifying Commission; or eligible to sit for the CCLS exam and successfully complete within first year of
employment.
Maintains current BLS/HealthCare Provider certification.


Experience


None. 

Previous experience preferred. 

Education:UNAVAILABLEEmployment Type: UNAVAILABLE

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About Orlando Health

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Orlando Health is a 3,200-bed system that includes 15 wholly-owned hospitals and emergency departments; rehabilitation services, cancer institutes, heart institutes, imaging and laboratory services, wound care centers, physician offices for adults and pediatrics, skilled nursing facilities, an in-patient behavioral health facility, home healthcare services in partnership with LHC Group, and urgent care centers in partnership with CareSpot Urgent Care. Nearly 4,200 physicians, representing more than 80 medical specialties and subspecialties have privileges across the Orlando Health system, which employs nearly 22,000 team members. Areas of clinical excellence are orthopedics, heart and vascular, cancer care, neurosciences, surgery, pediatric specialties, neonatology, women's health and trauma.

Industry

Health care and social assistance

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Orlando, FL, US

Year founded

1918