Child Life support
from the comfort of your home
At Colorful Hearts, we understand that every family and child is unique, and that's why we offer personalized support to help your family overcome medical challenges. We believe that every parent has the ability to support their child when given the right tools, guidance, and caring professionals by your side.
Our Chicago based team of experienced and compassionate Child Life Specialists work closely with you and your family to create tailored plans that address your specific needs and goals. We recognize that challenges can come in various forms, from a new diagnosis, loss of a loved one or routine vaccination fears and we are here to support you every step of the way.
Schedule a free consultation
Katie and Steph met while working together in the Emergency Department in 2019 and quickly discovered their shared passion for helping children overcome medical trauma. Their day-to-day work involved providing age-appropriate preparation, advocating for best practices, and collaborating within the multi-disciplinary team. As time went on, they couldn't ignore the increasing number of children and parents seeking ongoing support outside the hospital setting.
The primary mission of Colorful Hearts is to ensure that families always have access to child life support and to empower parents to support their children during challenging times. Katie and Steph hope to extend services typically often only offered at hospitals and offer families the opportunity to receive the assistance they deserve.
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Caregivers
Coaching and education given through individual sessions to set you up with the language, tools and resources to help you feel confident in supporting and advocating for your child.
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Kids
One-to-one sessions to address coping through routine medical experiences, new diagnosis, loss of a loved one or pet, education related to new illness, injury or treatment.
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Teens
One-to-one sessions to address coping through routine medical experiences, new diagnosis, loss of a loved one or pet, education related to new illness, injury or treatment.
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Child Life Students
We offer a variety of services to support aspiring child life students, including resume/application reviews and mock interviews. Please reach out for possible internship opportunities.
Testimonials
“As a pediatric nurse practitioner, you would think that I have a good idea of how to appropriately prepare someone for procedures. The answer turns out to be that I know the basics, but when it comes to my own family, I absolutely could not do it properly!
Stephanie helped me prepare my nephew before surgery. Not only did she help prepare him, she helped ease our own anxieties as a family. My nephew conquered the day like a champion, and this concerned aunt could not be more thankful for the services provided before we even stepped foot into the hospital! Stephanie gave us recommendations for books to read, so he knew what to expect in the hospital environment, helped my family know which age appropriate words to use, and how much information to provide to him that he would understand (as a school aged child). It’s incredible how much kids are able to handle; they just need the right tools to process their world! Beyond thankful for all the child life specialists in my life.”
- Jenna G., NP
“Katie gave us comprehensive information that allowed us to be prepared for my son’s eye surgery. The information was age-appropriate for my son and easy for him to understand the process. The information not only helped my son, but also helped put me at ease and allowed me to be in a good headspace before his surgery.”
- Mindi (parent)