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Child Life Staffing Calculator

The Staffing Calculator is a new service available through the Child Life Professional Data Center. Developed by the Staffing Analytics Task Force, the calculator is a new tool for child life leaders and programs to use when advocating for additional positions. The calculator is standardized to account for differences across all specialty areas and balanced to highlight the holistic value of Child Life. It considers emotional acuity and utilizes language that matches hospital operations and finance.

The Staffing Calculator is flexible depending on the needs of the child life program and the level of data they have. For the emotional acuity measure, child life programs can choose from the following options:
  • Use program data to calculate the percentage of patients needing child life services
  • Administer the Pediatric Emotional Safety Screener to establish the percentage of patients needing child life services in each service area
  • Use percentages from the Pediatric Emotional Safety Screener study at Children's Hospital Colorado

You must enter CLPDC quarterly data to utilize the Staff Calculator. Learn more about getting started with CLPDC and quarterly data.

Data Needed to Use the Calculator

  • Average number of operating days per week
  • Total quarterly encounters by child life specialists
  • Average daily census
  • Percent of patients identified needing child life services*
  • Non-productive replacement factor*

* Learn more about these values and how to obtain them in the User Guide.

Access the Staffing Calculator

The Staffing Calculator is available as part of the CLPDC Premium Subscription or in the new Staffing Calculator subscription. Visit the CLPDC Subscriptions to learn more.

What is the Pediatric Emotional Safety Screener?

The Pediatric Emotional Safety Screener (PESS) consists of yes/no questions and can be completed by a parents or caregiver. The PESS was evaluated in an IRB approved study. Results demonstrated the reliability and validity of the PESS in identifying which patients need child life services.

Learn more about utilizing the Pediatric Emotional Safety Screener in the User Guide.

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