Helps children and families cope with hospitalization, illness, and medical procedures through play, preparation, and education. BLS does not publish separate figures for recreational therapists; it counts them within recreational therapist (SOC 29-1125), whose median pay is $61,960 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 29-1125
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Child Life Specialist in four numbers
- Median pay
- $61,960a year, or $29.79/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $41KTop 10% $100K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +4.8%Faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+4.8%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +4.8% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 1,40015,600 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202515.6K
- Projected 203516.3K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 15.6K Projected 2035 16.3K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Bachelor's91.9%
- Post-bacc certificate5.4%
- Master's2.7%
Highest education held by recreational therapists Segment Value Bachelor's 91.9% Post-bacc certificate 5.4% Master's 2.7%
Also advertised as: Certified Child Life Specialist, CCLS, Pediatric Child Life Specialist, Child Life Coordinator.
Pay
How much do Recreational Therapists make?
Every child life specialist in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$61,960
Middle half earn $50,240 to $79,930
- 10th
- $40,990
- 25th
- $50,240
- 75th
- $79,930
- 90th
- $100,420
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $40,990 |
| 25th | $50,240 |
| Median | $61,960 |
| 75th | $79,930 |
| 90th | $100,420 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $61,960
- Median hourly wage
- $29.79/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $67,630
- People employed
- 14,930
Versus all US occupations
At $61,960, Recreational Therapists earn 22% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $10,980 a year.
Versus healthcare practitioners and technical occupations
Inside the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical group, where the middle occupation pays $102,760, this is 40% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $100,420 or more while the bottom 10% earn $40,990, a gap of 2.4×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 35% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
California pays the most at $98,170, and still leads at $88,665 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Recreational Therapists the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1California | $98,170 | $88,665 | 1,920 |
| 2District of Columbia | $95,640 | $87,024 | 50 |
| 3New Hampshire | $82,280 | $78,990 | 70 |
| 4Nevada | $78,730 | $78,747 | 400 |
| 5Washington | $77,860 | $72,758 | 240 |
| 6Minnesota | $76,360 | $77,428 | 250 |
| 7Colorado | $66,580 | $64,608 | 200 |
| 8Oregon | $66,530 | $64,367 | 250 |
| 9New York | $65,520 | $60,711 | 1,230 |
| 10Hawaii | $64,500 | $58,662 | 40 |
Job outlook
Is Child Life Specialist a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Faster than average. +4.8% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Recreational Therapists | +4.8% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Recreational Therapists to change 4.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 800 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 1,400 openings are projected each year, 9.0% of the 15,600 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Child Life Specialist
The Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) awards the Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) credential. Candidates need a bachelor's or master's degree, specific child life coursework (including a course taught by a certified specialist), and a clinical child life internship of several hundred supervised hours. They then pass the Child Life Professional Certification Examination.
Many people study child development, family studies, psychology, or a dedicated child life program, and a growing number of hospitals prefer a master's degree. Internships are competitive, so applicants often build experience volunteering with children in healthcare, camps for children with illness, or early childhood settings before applying.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as recreational therapists.
- Bachelor's Degree91.9%
- Post-Baccalaureate Certificate5.4%
- Master's Degree2.7%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | 91.9% |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 5.4% |
| Master's Degree | 2.7% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Child Life Specialist do?
Child life specialists work with children in hospitals and clinics to reduce fear and confusion around medical care. They explain procedures in age-appropriate language, often using dolls, real medical equipment, and pictures, and they teach coping techniques such as breathing, distraction, and comfort positioning. During procedures like IV starts or imaging, they stay beside the child to coach and support.
They also run therapeutic and medical play sessions, support siblings, help families during diagnosis or end-of-life care, and organize normalizing activities such as playrooms and school connections. They share observations about a child's emotional state with nurses, physicians, and social workers so the care team can adjust its approach.
Day-to-day tasks
- Prepare children for surgery and procedures using age-appropriate explanations and medical play
- Provide coaching and distraction during needle sticks, imaging, and other procedures
- Assess a child's developmental stage and coping style and share findings with the care team
- Lead therapeutic and normalizing play sessions in playrooms and at the bedside
- Support siblings and parents through diagnosis, treatment, and bereavement
- Teach children coping strategies for pain and anxiety
- Plan hospital events and activities that maintain a sense of normal childhood
- Document interventions and outcomes in the medical record
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Most child life specialists work in children's hospitals and pediatric units of general hospitals, including emergency departments, oncology, surgery, and intensive care. Others work in hospices, dental and outpatient clinics, and bereavement programs. The work is on foot, emotionally demanding, and involves contact with seriously ill children. Some positions include evening or weekend shifts.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Reading Comprehension3.9
- Writing3.9
- Critical Thinking3.9
- Active Learning3.4
- Learning Strategies3.4
- Monitoring3.4
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 4.0 |
| Speaking | 4.0 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.9 |
| Writing | 3.9 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.9 |
| Active Learning | 3.4 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.4 |
| Monitoring | 3.4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Service Orientation4.1
- Social Perceptiveness4.0
- Coordination4.0
- Instructing3.9
- Complex Problem Solving3.5
- Persuasion3.4
- Time Management3.3
- Negotiation3.1
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Service Orientation | 4.1 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 4.0 |
| Coordination | 4.0 |
| Instructing | 3.9 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.5 |
| Persuasion | 3.4 |
| Time Management | 3.3 |
| Negotiation | 3.1 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Internet browser software
- Medical software
- Music or sound editing software
- Voice recognition software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Child Life Specialist?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code SAE) built on O*NET's Recreational Therapist profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Child Life Specialist |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 4 |
| Investigative | 4 |
| Artistic | 4 |
| Social | 7 |
| Enterprising | 3 |
| Conventional | 3 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around teaching, helping and working directly with other people, combined with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data.
- Social6.8
- Investigative4.3
- Artistic3.9
- Realistic3.7
- Enterprising3.4
- Conventional2.7
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Child Life Specialist
O*NET related occupations
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Support
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Support
- Healthcare Support
More healthcare practitioners and technical careers
Median annual pay, with recreational therapists highlighted
- Anesthesiologist$391,490
- Physician Assistant$135,880
- Nurse Practitioner$132,300
- Physical Therapist$102,760
- Dental Hygienist$98,100
- Diagnostic Medical Sonographer$96,590
- Radiologic Technologist and Technician$80,110
- Surgical Technologist$64,650
- Child Life Specialist$61,960
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Anesthesiologist | $391,490 |
| Physician Assistant | $135,880 |
| Nurse Practitioner | $132,300 |
| Physical Therapist | $102,760 |
| Dental Hygienist | $98,100 |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographer | $96,590 |
| Radiologic Technologist and Technician | $80,110 |
| Surgical Technologist | $64,650 |
| Child Life Specialist | $61,960 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Child Life Specialist appears on
Questions
Child Life Specialist: frequently asked questions
How much do Recreational Therapists make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for recreational therapists. It counts them within recreational therapist, whose median pay is $61,960 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $50,240 and $79,930, and the top 10% earn $100,420 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Child Life Specialist?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Recreational Therapists, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 91.9% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Child Life Specialist a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 4.8% over 2025–2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 1,400 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Child Life Specialist do?
Child life specialists work with children in hospitals and clinics to reduce fear and confusion around medical care. A typical task: prepare children for surgery and procedures using age-appropriate explanations and medical play. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Office suite software, Presentation software.
Which states pay Recreational Therapists the most?
The highest state medians for Recreational Therapists are California ($98,170), District of Columbia ($95,640), New Hampshire ($82,280) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Child Life Specialist?
O*NET scores Recreational Therapists highest on the Social, Investigative and Artistic interest areas, so the work mixes teaching, helping and working directly with other people with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ENFP, ENFJ, ESFP. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.