Ireland: Child Life

Overview 

Students will have the opportunity to spend four weeks in Ireland shadowing, volunteering and participating in service-learning projects at various locations.

The group will work with Connect-123, an organization that develops and manages volunteer, internship and study abroad programs in a variety of cities, including Dublin. Child life students will work with the child life staff and the pain management team in a variety of inpatient wards within Dublin, including the Ronald McDonald House and a Barretstown Camp (a year-round camp for children with life-threatening illness). In addition, students will have the chance to participate in four to five children’s health service-learning projects. For child and family studies, students following the child life concentration gain hands-on, structured experience in children’s hospitals that are critical in securing competitive internship placements required for their national certification exam.

Living Arrangements 

Connect-123 will provide housing accommodations in furnished apartments for participating students. The apartment building is a 24-hour secured building and each apartment is fully furnished with a kitchen. Students will provide meals for themselves and grocery/produce stores are within walking distance to the apartment building. There is also a coffee shop that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner on the first floor of the building as well as a number of restaurants within walking distance.

Program Dates 

June 24 - July 26, 2025

*Participants will need to depart the US on June 23 in order to arrive in Ireland on June 24. 

Academics  

Students register for 3 credits of undergraduate or graduate credit. Students choose one of the following:   

• CFS 4590: CFS in International Service (3 OHIO credits) 
• CFS 5590: CFS in International Service (3 OHIO credits)

Cost  

The program fee for this program includes: Student accommodations, airport pickup/return; Galway Excursion, and international medical health insurance.

In addition to the program fee, students should plan for 3 credit hours of tuition*, administrative fee, and out-of-pocket costs. Below is the student budget worksheet for this program, which outlines these costs.  

Undergraduate Student Budget Worksheet - Summer 2025

Graduate Student Budget Worksheet - Summer 2025

Items that are not related to the program (ie. additional entertainment, souvenirs, extra travel, contingency funds) are not included in the cost estimates provided and should be budgeted for separately.  

*Note: 

• If you are nominated to this program, you will be required to pay a deposit to confirm your participation. The deposit is a down payment on the total costs to be billed by OHIO and is determined by the total cost of the program. 

Funding Opportunities

More information on financial aid and scholarships can be found on our funding pages. 

Eligibility

This program application is open to students in the child life specialty, and students interested in working with children and families in health care settings are eligible. Priority will be given to students who have successfully completed CFS 2100 (undergraduate) or CFS 6280 (graduate). Note: Child life students must be enrolled in child and family studies and following the child life concentration.  

Applicants must have:

• Completed CFS 2100: Child Life and Pediatric Health Care Settings (undergraduates) OR CFS 6280 Foundations and Theory in Child Life (graduate) prior to departure
• Minimum GPA: 2.67 Undergraduate; 3.0 Grad

Students from other disciplines can apply with permission from the director. 

Students who will be on probation at any point during the program for a conduct offense that took place less than a calendar year from the program start date may not study abroad. Read the entire conduct policy.  

This program accepts NON-OHIO students. For more information about this process visit the Non-OHIO student page.   

Participants must have a at least a high school diploma or the equivalent (e.g. GED) by the start date of the program to be considered for eligibility.  Students enrolled in College Credit Plus (CC+) are not eligible for study away programs.

Application Requirements

While applying in the OGO Student Portal, applicants are required to provide:

• Contact information for 2 academic/professional references. 
  • Note: At least one reference should be a CFS/HDFS professor who has had the applicant in class.
• A personal statement answering the following: 
  • (1) Share what hands-on experiences you have had working with pediatric patients and their families and/or working with vulnerable populations. 
  • (2) Tell us what you hope to gain from working with pediatric patients and their families in Ireland.

Applicants will also need to complete an interview with the program director.

All participants are required to pay a non-refundable deposit of $500 (to be credited to student’s program fees) as part of the acceptance process.  

Entry and Exit Requirements 

U.S. citizens are required to have a valid U.S. passport when traveling outside of the United States. If you plan to study or travel abroad in the next year,  apply for your passport  now. Some countries also require a visa to legally enter or reside in the country.

U.S. citizens  will not  need a visa or other special documents to enter the country for the length of this program. Please also note that visa requirements may vary if you plan to stay in the country longer than the program dates or travel to other countries during or after the program. Please familiarize yourself with these recommendations and requirements prior to applying to this program. 

For more specific visa related information, please visit OGO’s  Visa Information Page 

Information for  Non-U.S. citizens  

Resources 

• Health and Safety
• Accessibility Requests and Accommodations