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UC Irvine Healthcare’s Child Life program’s main objective is to provide a therapeutic play program to help children and their families cope with the hospitalization experience. Play is a vital aspect of a child’s life. It is their vehicle for expressing themselves and to finding comfort in an unfamiliar hospital environment.

The Child Life playroom is a non-threatening, developmentally supportive environment designed with age-appropriate activities for infants and children as well as young adults. This environment promotes the healing process for young patients and their families while maintaining normal growth and development.

What are the requirements to volunteer? Child Life volunteers must be at least 18 years old and must commit to a four hour shift every week for a minimum of six months. Volunteers must also have a health clearance and pass a criminal background check.

What is the application process for the Child Life volunteer program?

• If interested, please contact Child Life Manager Charity Vasquez at charityv@uci.edu to discuss details and the days/times available to volunteer.
• Obtain a health clearance from the Occupational Health Department at UC Irvine Medical Center. Each volunteer must pass two tuberculosis skin tests and show proof of immunizations for measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox. The TB skin test can be conducted at the medical center at no cost. You will need to get an authorization form at the volunteer office before going to Occupational Health to initiate the health clearance.
• Schedule an appointment to meet with Volunteer Services to turn in required paperwork and to discuss uniform, ID badge, parking and the necessary training.
• Attend the Child Life volunteer orientation.

What do Child Life volunteers do? During each session, volunteers work directly with Child Life staff to review the patient census and communicate developmentally appropriate needs. There are two areas where Child Life volunteers can be assigned:

• Playroom/Bedside: Volunteer opportunities include interacting with patients and their siblings in the playroom and at bedside, providing developmentally appropriate support and stimulation. Shifts are available as follows:
  • Mondays-Fridays: 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; 2-6 p.m.; 4-8 p.m.
  • Saturdays and Sundays: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; noon-4 p.m.
• Please choose a time and day slot from the available sessions. Contact Charity Vasquez at charityv@uci.edu for shift availability and your start date.
• Super Sibs Klub: Volunteer opportunities include assisting with an activity-based support group for siblings of patients with developmental disabilities or chronic illness. Group meetings are held the third Saturday of each month at the UC Irvine Medical Center. This can be done in addition to playroom/bedside volunteering.
• NICU Siblings Support Group:  Child life specialists facilitate a support group for NICU brothers and sisters through developmentally appropriate supports and therapeutic interventions. This provides opportunities to prepare siblings for visiting NICU, helps them express their feelings, obtain a sense of control and mastery and increase their understanding of the medical equipment they see in the NICU.
• New Sibling Class:  This class is for preschool and elementary school kids who are about to become big brothers and big sisters. Children will learn about what to expect when mom goes to the hospital to have the baby and also learn what they can do as the new big brother or big sister to help around the house and with the new baby after mom comes home.

Cuddler Volunteer Program
The Cuddler Volunteer Program is a volunteer opportunity to support babies and their families and assist nursing staff to provide extra love and developmentally appropriate stimulation under the guidance and direction of our medical staff in UC Irvine’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

What are the requirements to be a cuddler?
Cuddler volunteers must be at least 18 years old and must commit to at least a two hour shift, up to a maximum of 12 hours a week, for a minimum of six months. A personal letter of recommendation which speaks to their experience with infants and/or children is also required. Cuddler volunteers must complete a volunteer application, sign a confidentiality agreement, adhere to all hospital policies, complete an annual health clearance, pass a criminal background check and other enrollment requirements, such as completion of the Cuddler volunteer orientation.

What is the application process for the Cuddler Volunteer Program?

• If interested, please contact Cuddler Program Supervisor Charity Vasquez at charityv@uci.edu to discuss details and the days/times you are available to volunteer.
• Obtain health clearance from the Occupational Health Department at UC Irvine Medical Center.
• Schedule an appointment to meet with Volunteer Services to turn in required paperwork and to discuss uniform, badge, parking, safety training and any other necessary training.
• Attend Cuddler volunteer orientation. Note: Cuddler volunteers must be accepted into the volunteer program as well as finish all application processes before attending the orientation.

What do Cuddler volunteers do?
A Cuddler volunteer is a trained adult who is able to:

• Hold baby under supervision of medical staff
• Read to baby using age-appropriate books
• Talk to baby in soothing and stimulating tones and words
• Sing to baby in rhymes and favorite lullabies
• Console baby with positive touch and sensitive comfort

For more information about the Child Life volunteer program or the Cuddler volunteer program, contact Charity Vasquez at charityv@uci.edu or 714.456.8391.

Application Download: Right-click and save the Adult/College Student Volunteer Application (PDF) to your desktop. Complete all required fields, save your changes, then email the file to ucimcvolunteer@uci.edu.

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