Insights and Wisdom: Global Engagement in Child Life

Stephanie’s journey in Child Life includes over 25 years of clinical and academic experience. In May of 2013 Stephanie received the Mary Barkey Clinical Excellence Award in recognition for her exemplary child life work and high level of clinical skill. Stephanie has worked at several hospitals including Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), and Kaiser Permanente. During her time at KACCH, Sidra, Yale and CHLA Stephanie co-developed and implemented the child life internship programs. In addition to her professional commitments Stephanie’s dedication to child life includes volunteering her time with Operation Smile. Through Operation Smile she has traveled with a multidisciplinary team to provide child life services in Kenya, the Philippines, and Malawi. She was invited and currently serves on the child life specialty council for the organization.

Stephanie is an accomplished speaker, trainer and writer. Among her many accomplishments is the delivery of numerous international and national presentations on child life, leadership, reflective practice, professional care, and reflective supervision, including keynote addresses on race, ethnicity and culture, resiliency, and reflective practice. She has written chapters in books including a chapter in a pediatric psychosocial oncology textbook and in Beyond the Hospitals, an ACLP publication. As a respected educator, she has served as Senior Adjunct Faculty at Pacific Oaks College, as an Instructor at UCLA-Extension, and as lead consultant and curriculum design specialist for Full Circle Consulting Systems, Inc., an international firm that offers training and technical assistance for children, youth and families. 

Jill Koss started as a child life specialist at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, and 29 years later is the director of family support services there. She has been involved in many aspects of ACLP over the years, from Vision-to-Action in 1996; to certification, serving as senior chair in 2009; she has been a mentor in Leadership Mentor Program; was previously on the board of directors, and is currently the president of ACLP. Jill has an MS in child development from Texas Woman's University.