Hello SACLP members! 

I am so excited that we are now the Southern Association of Child Life Professionals (SACLP). It has taken quite a few years to get to the point of changing the name. But in actuality, it’s very impressive that what started as a small group of CCLSs has blossomed into spanning four states in just 7 years! We should be very proud of our inclusivity and may I say, “southern hospitality”! 

But perhaps even more importantly, it is time to nominate our 2022-2024 Executive Board! Being on the Executive Board is a great opportunity to help support both your child life coworkers and the world of child life. We have multiple roles open and would love to include your talents in guiding our association. (And getting PDUs to add to recertification is also a great perk!) 

Curious what board positions are available and some of the duties? 

President - In charge of running board meetings, writing quarterly blogs, and coordinating the executive board

President-Elect (4-year commitment)** - Responsible for taking minutes during meetings, managing SACLP's email, and coordinating with the executive board. This position will become the President after 2 years in the President-Elect position.

Treasurer - Responsible for the bank account, membership lists, and writing checks

Webmaster - In charge of website updates and maintenance, as well as maintaining Eventbrite account

Conference Planning Committee Chair - In charge of coordinating the yearly conference, locating a suitable site for conference, overseeing conference abstract selection, conference schedule, and working with closely with the webmaster on Eventbrite

Outreach Committee Chair - Managing social media accounts and connecting our association with other groups and organizations

Professional Development Committee Chair - Publishing a newsletter that includes professional development opportunities for members, as well as managing the certificates of completion for SACLP presentations.

Student Education Committee Chair - In charge of the internship scholarship, keeping the practicum common application updated, and running the Child Life Student Facebook group.

*Please note that Executive Board Members meet monthly via Zoom. The meeting time is determined based on the schedule of the Executive Board.

If you or someone you know are interested in running, please click here to let us know! 

In conference news, we will be doing two half-day digital conferences during the month of October. We are currently accepting presentation abstracts, so please submit now! You can submit your abstract via Google Forms by clicking here. Or if you would like to submit it via a .Word document, please email us at [email protected] for the form. We look forward to hearing from you! 

Some housekeeping noted in regards to our name change: This will be a soft transition. We are currently working on creating a new logo as well as changing our legal documents. If you are in the position of hiring staff or choosing student placement, please accept resumes and applications that say either TACLP or SACLP. The common practicum application that was created by our student committee will be updated once we have our new logo. Our website link will stay www.TACLP.org until further notice, we are currently working on switching to a different webhost. We will let people know when the website and emails have been updated. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out via email: [email protected]

Be well and play often!

Sarah Davis, MS, CCLS

SACLP President

It is amazing that TACLP's current board has already jumped into its second year. I feel like the first year flew by, though this might be in part due to COVID-19 causing many pivots for us all. While we aren't out of the pandemic woods yet and the recent dramatic weather has definitely caused additional chaos, I am excited to see what TACLP will accomplish in 2021. So please enjoy all the exciting events and updates that TACLP has planned below!

A few weeks ago the TACLP Board sent out an invitation to vote on a possible name change. It has been expressed from many in the membership how the current name of our organization (Texas Association of Child Life Professionals) doesn't fully represent the membership. We currently have members living in Oklahoma and Louisiana, as well as two board members who are located in Oklahoma. Additionally the 2021 conference will be held in Oklahoma this year (pending the pandemic). 

To that end, there has been ongoing discussions on a name that would better represent the members of our association. After a rigorous review by members, the name "TOLA-ACLP" has been dropped. We apologize for any confusion the email might have caused. There were multiple names suggested by members, the most frequently being South-Central Association of Child Life Professionals. Since this name was organically suggested by many different individuals, the board feels that it is a better representation of the members.

Members will officially vote on a name change in the coming months. Now is also the time to update the bylaws, so in an effort to keep voting simple, we will have members vote on both the name change and the bylaws in one ballot. You will receive an invitation to vote on the association's name as well as the updates to the bylaws in an upcoming email. I would like to note that you will be voting on one item at a time and will have the opportunity to put forward a different name if you desire during the voting process.

In other news, we are very happy that our transition from an in-person conference to a webinar series was successful. So far we have completed 9 of our 12 webinars and the feedback has been very positive. Additionally it has been fun to see webinar participants from all over the U.S. join our bi-monthly presentations. This transition has definitely opened our association to thinking about how we can use the virtual world to connect with people who have limited travel abilities. At this time we are still hopeful that we can have our 2021 conference face-to-face in Oklahoma. The TACLP Board prioritizes the safety and wellbeing of our community and continues to monitor current COVID-19 information. We will keep the membership abreast as to the 2021 conference plans as they unfold.

Additionally, TACLP has graciously agreed to take over Child Life 101 classes that were previously offered on-site at multiple hospitals across Texas. Due to the pandemic restricting visitors and students in the hospital, TACLP was asked to provide an online version of the Child Life 101 class so students can continue to learn about the field of child life. If you are interested in more information, please see the "students" tab on our website.

Finally, Happy Child Life Month! The TACLP Board would like to spread the love by sending a surprise gift to the child life specialists in our association. Gifts will be sent to child life professionals in our region. To add your name to our gift list, please follow this link:

***For CCLSs in a child life program with more than 1 child life professional, please have 1 person from the program fill out the form. For example, INTEGRIS Children's should have 1 person fill out the form for the whole child life department.

While I hope that 2021's unpredictability is now behind us, we will still focus on being prepared for what the rest of the year has in store. TACLP is committed to supporting our members in any way that we can. If you have any questions or suggestions, do not hesitate to reach out.

Be well and play often!

Sarah Davis, MS, CCLS

TACLP President

Instructions for Child Life Month Gift List Google Form:

CCLS working in a child life program with other child life professionals: Please have one member of your department fill out the google form with the hospital/university name, the number of child life professionals in your program as well as your department's mailing address

CCLS by yourself in a community program, university, or in private practice: Please fill out this google form with your current mailing address and place of employment.

Click here to submit information on Google Form.

We have some exciting news from TACLP, but first, thank you to everyone who made the 2019 TACLP Conference a success. From the conference committee members, to the presenters, the volunteers who helped set up and stuff bags, and the board, as well as everyone in between, we couldn't have done it without you. There was much positive feedback from conference participants, and a few suggestions and ideas we plan to implement for future events. Mark your calendar for our 2020 conference in Oklahoma City, OK on Saturday, October 24th. We hope to see you there!

TACLP is pleased to now offer a scholarship fund for interns! Our first recipient was Macey Booster, who was selected for the Fall 2019 intern scholarship. This spring, our recipient was Taylor Nash. Be on the look out for the deadline to apply for the summer internship scholarship.

We are currently reviewing applicants for our committee member positions. Thank you so much to everyone who expressed interest. We deeply appreciate your support.

TACLP has some exciting items in the works, and we look forward to continue serving the child life members in Texas and the surrounding states. If you have any questions or suggestions, do not hesitate to reach out. 

Sarah Davis, MS, CCLS
TACLP Board President 

It was so great to see so many familiar and new faces, including students and professionals at the 3rd Annual TACLP Conference last week at MD Anderson in Houston, TX. A HUGE thanks to each of you for making the trip and to MD Anderson and the TACLP Conference Planning Committee for putting on such an AMAZING conference filled with networking and learning over several days.

I also want to take the time to thank the board members below and their committees for the excellent work they did over the past two year:

Treasurer: Christy Lange
Secretary: Zenia Hudson
Webmaster: Sarah Davis
Conference Planning Committee Chair: Audra Trussell
Outreach Committee Chair: Riley Hammond
Professional Development Committee Chair: Amber Hill
Student Education Committee Chair: Laura Wiedemann

Below is a re-cap of the goals that this board accomplished:
• Professional Development Newsletter published each quarter and sent to membership
• Program Directory, Student Directory and Academic Directory created and uploaded to TACLP website
• TACLP launched Instagram
• TACLP Common Practicum Application and Reference Form created, launched and utilized for September deadline
• $500 Internship Scholarship created and given to first recipient for fall 2019 session. Plan will be to have these for each of the 3 internship semesters (spring, summer, fall)
• Eventbrite website created and launched for conference registration this year
• 3rd Annual TACLP Conference Successfully hosted!

We have no doubt the new board will continue to do amazing work to propel our region further! Help me congratulate and welcome the new board members as listed below:

President: Sarah Davis, The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio in San Antonio, TX
Treasurer: Meagan Linstrom, Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin, TX
Secretary: Magellan Taylor-Brickey, Baylor Scott and White Health in Fort Worth, TX
Webmaster: Laura Linville, Integris Children’s at Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City, OK
Outreach Committee Chair: Morgan Brinson, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas, TX
Professional Development Committee Chair: Kayla Rueter, Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin, TX
Student Education Committee Chair: Elizabeth McCarroll, Texas Woman’s University in Denton, TX
Conference Planning Committee Chair: Ashley Ochs, Integris Children’s at Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City, OK

Call for 2020 Committees-please look out for the call for Committee members which will go out via email in mid to late January.
Future Conference Save the Dates:

Saturday, October 24, 2020 at Integris Children’s at Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City, OK
2021 Conference Location: Baylor Scott and White Health in Fort Worth, TX Date TBD

It has truly been a pleasure serving as President for the past four years. I have not doubt I will continue to see and work with you all again in the future!

Exciting news is that the second board’s election term has flown by, and it’s now time to hold elections for the 2019-2021 term.  The term will run from October 2019-October 2021, with the expectation that you would still be available and transitioning the new board between October 2021-January 2022.

Below are the positions that are eligible for election:

President - must be a CCLS

The President is responsible for managing and directing the monthly meetings, representing TACLP at other meetings as needed, overseeing the nomination and voting process every two years for board elections, and maintains a signature on the TACLP Bank Account.

Secretary

The Secretary is responsible for recording and distributing minutes at all meetings, maintaining a list of Association members and distributing group emails as needed, monitoring the TACLP email address and attending monthly board meetings. The Secretary also maintains a signature on the TACLP Bank Account.

Treasurer

The Treasurer is responsible for maintaining a signature on the TACLP bank account and maintaining a list of all TACLP dues and memberships and filing taxes each year by the deadline. The Treasurer also attends monthly board meetings.

Webmaster

The Webmaster is responsible for maintaining the TACLP website, assuring all information is accurate and up to date and attending monthly board meetings. They also collaborate with the Conference Planning Committee Chair to create and maintain the conference registration website. 

Conference planning committee chair

The Conference Committee Chair will lead the Conference Committee in planning the annual TACLP Conference as well as provide support to the conference host committee.  The Chair will participate on the TACLP Board by attending monthly meetings, provide reports to the board and providing feedback for board decisions. 

The Conference Committee Chair will lead the Conference Planning Committee by conducting monthly meetings to review abstract submission guidelines and the review form, set abstract timelines, review abstracts to determine conference presentations and assist on-site at the annual conference, as needed.  The Chair will also provide support to the conference host committee by being a resource for planning, budgeting and logistic purposes.

Outreach committee chair

The Outreach Committee is charged with assisting in increasing membership, improving awareness of the organization, partnering with like-minded organizations and maintaining social media platforms.  The chair of this committee manages and facilitates committee meetings.  Meeting responsibilities include creating an agenda, leading the meeting and distributing meeting minutes.  The chair is also responsible for setting annual committee goals and reporting updates at board meetings.  Goals met or in progress during the last year include creating a Program Directory, available on the TACLP website, launching an Instagram account and launching a Facebook account in October at the annual conference.  Additional goals include using social media platforms to help leverage and target specific audiences, creating mentorship opportunities for one person programs and advertising regional networking/social events within the state. 

Professional Development committee chair

This committee is charged with researching ways to provide continuing education and professional development hours to TACLP members, maintaining up to date PDU newsletter on the website while working with the committee to create this each quarter. They also collaborate with the conference planning committee to facilitate the Professional Networking Event at the Regional Conference each October. The chair of this committee facilitates committee meetings, helps sets yearly goals and ensures tasks are completed by committee.

Student Education committee chair - must be a CCLS

This committee is charged with improving awareness of educational opportunities in Texas for students, increasing student membership, creating resources for students about child life  practicum and internship settings and facilitating communication about student and educator needs. The chair of this committee facilitates committee meetings, helps sets yearly goals and ensures tasks are completed by committee. The chair of this committee also facilitates the Student Education Think Tank each year the Friday before Regional Conference in October and also facilitates the Student Networking Session at the Regional Conference each year in October. They also maintain the student directory list on the website to ensure it continues to be accurate and up to date.

Note that it is a 2-year term/commitment. In addition to the expectations in the by-laws, the board meets monthly via a conference call throughout the term and then tries to meet in person 1x a year at the regional conference in October. The Committee Chairs must also hold a minimum of 1 meeting per month with the committees. Also note as indicated above that the offices of President and Student Education Committee Chair must be a CCLS.

*Please ensure that you qualify to run for your desired position by checking the by-laws. You also must continue to be a member of TACLP in good standing, so make sure your dues are paid and up to date prior to running.

Nominations:  If you are interested in running, please complete TACLP Election Nomination form in the survey monkey link below NO LATER than, August 16, 2019.  Please feel free to reach out to Krista Stringer at [email protected]  with any questions or for additional information about each position and responsibility.

Survey Monkey Link for Nomination Form: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DFYGBNL

Elections: All membership will then receive a survey monkey to go in and vote on officers. The survey monkey will be open for 1 week only once it goes out (August 19). The results will be published to the membership the week of September 2 Then, the new board will get together via a conference call to discuss future meetings and next steps. We will also plan to have an in person board transition the Friday before the October conference (Friday, October 25 at 5pm in Houston, TX) for those able to attend this meeting and the conference. The Treasurer, President and Secretary will also need to meet in Houston on Wednesday, October 23 or Thursday, October 24 to meet at the Bank to change over signatures on the TACLP Bank Account.

This first two boards have done great things, but there is a lot of work and great opportunities ahead! We hope you will consider participating in this great region to help make a difference! J I’ve attached a brochure so you can see the current work that has been done and get ideas of great projects that could still be done under this new board.

Note that if you do not wish to run for a board position above, then we would love for you to consider serving on one of the committees above. Interest to serve on committees will come out in January 2020 and the commitment to be part of a committee is only 1 year.

Krista (on behalf of the current TACLP Board)

April 2019

TACLP President’s Blog! 

Hopefully everyone had a FANTASTIC Child Life Month in March and a GREAT time at National Child Life Conference in April for those able to go. I wanted to ensure you had updates on the great things the board and committees are doing as well as reminders of some upcoming deadlines!

Call for Abstracts: Abstracts due by May 31, 2019

It is that time for abstract submissions! Our 3rd Annual Texas Child Life Conference will be held on Saturday, October 26.  If you are interested, please go to the “Conference” tab on the taclp.com webpage for more information and to submit an abstract by May 31st.  

Please contact us if you have any questions at [email protected]

January 28, 2019

TACLP President’s Blog 

I hope everyone had Happy Holidays and a great New Year so far! I’m so excited to share updates from the hard-working board members and committees of TACLP.

New Committee Interest Forms

Interest forms have gone out and are due February 1, 2019. Committee terms will start on March 1, 2019 and each committee member will serve for one year.

Below is a brief description of each committee:

Conference planning- works on reviewing and selecting conference abstracts, working with the hospital host committee to plan conference and helps on the day of conference

Professional Development-works on developing and implementing professional development opportunities for TACLP members, including helping to write and distribute the current quarterly newsletters

Outreach – looks at ways to recruit membership as well as future potential hospital support and sponsorship, including helping to maintain the current Program Directory and helping to launch the new Instagram and future Social Media platforms

Student Education- looks at opportunities to offer networking and educational materials for future student members, including helping to maintain the current Student Directory and helping to create and launch the Common Practicum Application for Texas

Committees meet a minimum of once a month for at least one hour.

TACLP Members,
I’m excited to write the first blog for 2018 on behalf of the new TACLP Board. Even though it’s only February, we have been working on and discussing some exciting things we wanted to share with you.

Committee Interest Forms
These went out via email a few days ago and are due on February 15. If you did not receive the email, please contact me at [email protected] and I’m happy to forward it to you.

We anticipate the following commitments from committee members:
1. 12-month commitment (March 1^st- March 1^st)
2. Participation in regular conference calls
3. Completion of tasks as identified by the Committee Chair and committee members

Professional Development Committee
This committee is charged with: 
· Exploring professional development options across Texas
· Collaborating with conference committee to score and choose abstracts for the TACLP conference 2018
· Researching relevant PD partnerships to further support members

 Conference Planning Committee
This committee is charged with: 
· Reviewing abstracts for conference presentation at TACLP 2018 Conference on October 27, 2018
· Targeting the review of abstracts in mid-April to end of May
· A short term commitment

 Student Committee
This committee is charged with: 
· Improving awareness of educational opportunities in Texas
· Increasing student membership
· Creating resources for students about practicum and internship settings
· Facilitating communication about student and educator needs

 Outreach Committee
This committee is charged with: 
· Increasing membership
· Improving awareness of the organization
· Partnership with like-minded organizations
· Sponsorship by like-minded organizations

Website Updates

We would love for you to check out the website and see the great updates that Sarah, the Webmaster has made.   www.taclp.org

We have created a “Child Life Students” tab where we have listed the Child Life 101 workshops in Texas and will be adding information about the Child Life Practicum and Child Life Internship programs.

If you have a Child Life 101 Workshop that is not added, please email and let us know and we will be happy to add it.

We will also be posting “job openings” around Texas on the website as well. It is up to the program leadership to email us at [email protected] with your job opening, and permission to post it as well as to remember to contact us to remove the opening once it is filled and closed.

2017-2018 Board Member Goals

Below is a list of the goals the board will be working on for this year:

1. Creating a database so it tracks when people have joined and has emails included. 
2. Advocate for Activity Coordinator and Child Life Assistant participation and continuing education at conference and throughout the year.

1. Creating comprehensive list of hospital and university programs.
2. Social media presence.

• Help us leverage and target people
• Create Facebook page for people to “like”

1. Mentoring people who are a one-person program.
2. Networking within cities.

2018 TACLP Conference/Conference Abstracts

Just a reminder that this year’s conference will be on Saturday, October 27, 2018 at Cook Children’s in Fort Worth, TX

Call for Abstracts-be on the lookout within the next month for the Call for Abstracts!

We hope to get to work with you all throughout the year on committees and see you all at conference in October! Here’s to a GREAT year for us all “Deep in the Heart of Texas!”

Krista Stringer, MS, CCLS
President, TACLP