CCLS Exam
The Certified Child Life Specialist, or CCLS, exam is intended to test
candidates to ensure that they have achieved a certain standard of knowledge and
ability. The test can result in pay increases for many candidates as employers
view this certification as a commitment to excellent child care.
A Child Life Specialist is trained to work with children and their families in
the occurrence of stressful life events. In order to become a Child Life
Specialist, a candidate must have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a
curriculum that involves human growth and development, counseling, psychology,
or education.
The CCLS exam was created by a committee of child life experts. Frequent surveys
are conducted among child life practitioners to ensure the test content remains
current and relevant.
The CCLS exam is sponsored by the Child Life Council, or CLC. The CLC has
designated a Certifying Committee responsible for overseeing the CCLS program.
There are many benefits to becoming CCLS certified including a higher sense of
self-worth, a validation of specialized knowledge, demonstrating a professional
commitment, and enhanced credibility.
In order to become CCLS certified, a candidate must meet three requirements. The
must hold a baccalaureate degree, must have taken applicable college courses,
and must have clinical experience in the area of child life. Candidates who are
unsure if their college course work is applicable can seek a course work review
from the CLC prior to applying for the CCLS exam.
The CCLS exam assesses a candidate’s knowledge and skills pertaining to the
areas of child life and development that current child life professionals deem
most important. Because the exam is reviewed by child life professionals, the
content reflects the actual knowledge applied by these professionals on a daily
basis.
The test is composed of 150 multiple-choice questions. The test is divided into
three areas: assessment, intervention, and professional responsibility. The area
of assessment covers topics such as the observation of family life to obtain
objective data, identification of developmental issues, identification of
diversity issues, and recognition of psychological factors. The area of
intervention covers topics such as providing psychological preparation for life
challenges, providing developmentally appropriate support for life challenges,
providing support services for situations of grief or loss, and monitoring
progress of a child’s response to an intervention plan. The area of professional
responsibility covers topics such as professional standards, document
assessment, continuing education, and community outreach programs.
