Child Life
Child Life Specialists at University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital focus on meeting the emotional and developmental needs of children who are in a health care setting.
For a child, the excessive anxiety and stress related to illness, separation from family during hospitalization, and medical encounters can be emotionally damaging and interfere with the child's response to medical treatment and care. Major interruptions in a child's life can invite dependency and erode self-esteem and may jeopardize the child's growth and development.
Through the use of play and other forms of communication, a Child Life Specialist helps reduce the stress and enable children and families to cope with these experiences.
General Schedule of Child Life Event Event and Activities
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 a.m. | Morning Show | Morning Show | Morning Show | Morning Show | Morning Show | ||
| 10:30 a.m. | Story Time | Story Time | Story Time | Story Time | Story Time | ||
| 2:30 p.m. | Child Life Bingo | Zoom Guests | Music Therapy | Child Life Bingo | Cooking or Art | Student-led Activity | Game Day |
| 6 p.m. | Teens Only | Dance Marathon Zoom | Art for Kids |
Perky Vision is on channel 129
To access Perky Vision
On tablet: Entertainment > Hospital Channels > Perky Vision or Channel 129 on the Parent TV
Email ChildLifeTV@healthcare.uiowa.edu to share artwork, give feedback, or choose the next activity!
Child Life Videos
From the kids at University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital to all of our friends and supporters: Thank you.
Health Information
Patient Stories
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A skin graft—and a little distraction—helps to save Jonathan’s badly injured finger
Emergency room doctors thought Jonathan’s finger might need to be amputated, but UI Health Care hand surgeon Lindsey S. Caldwell, MD, knew how to save it.Read more -
Parent Blog: Shannon and Todd Mikkelsen
"The team that we see at every visit makes him feel like he can have fun and still be a kid despite having leukemia." — Shannon and Todd Mikkelsen Read more -
Masks of courage
Macaulay Townsend came up with “courage masks” to minimize the stress and emotional strain of children throughout their hospital experience.Read more -
I spy with my little eye
The construction crew and Child Life team had a special surprise for patients and visitors at UI Stead Family Children's Hospital this holiday season.Read more -
Snow ball
On Jan. 31, our Child Life staff threw a Snow Ball for our pediatric inpatients and their families. Kids had the chance to participate in a variety of activities, dance, and visit with some very special "Frozen" characters.Read more
News Articles
Locations and Contact
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UI Stead Family Children's Hospital
22130-C
200 Hawkins Drive
Iowa City, Iowa 52242Parking:In House Directions: Public Elevators, Level 2Ramp 2
For more information contact:
Racheal Niensteadt, BS, CCLS
Manager, Child Life Program
Phone: 1-319-356-4469
Email: racheal-niensteadt@uiowa.edu