Child Life, Education and Creative Arts Therapy

Providing Entertainment

Thank you for your interest in providing entertainment to the children and families at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Our goal is to provide the highest quality of therapeutic entertainment for the children during their visit to the hospital.

Visiting groups and performers must be screened through the Child Life, Education and Creative Arts Therapy Department. It is our intent through this application and screening process to maintain a balance between the patients’ needs (including their medical conditions, safety and privacy, and interest level) and the amount and types of entertainment scheduled.

Consideration will be given to those events that are:

Your offer to provide entertainment for the children is appreciated. However, because of guidelines such as those stated above, we are unable to accept and accommodate all offers. Please read the guidelines below carefully before submitting an application. Completion of an application does not guarantee acceptance or scheduling. To assist us with the screening process, you may submit a videotape, audiotape and/or letters of reference along with your application.

Once we receive the completed application, we will notify you if the proposed event meets all applicable criteria and fits our current calendar. Thank you again for your interest in providing entertainment to the children and families at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Entertainment and visitor guidelines

Entertainment such as arts and crafts, magicians, musical performances or celebrity visits can bring pleasure to a hospitalized child and his/her family. Your visit may be scheduled in an inpatient playroom, outpatient area, or in the rehabilitation area of the hospital. The day of your visit will be of greatest benefit if the following guidelines are followed before, during, and after your visit is scheduled: 

Planning your visit

  1. All visiting groups/performers will be screened and approved in advance by the Child Life, Education and Creative Arts Therapy Department.
  2. Previous successful experience entertaining and visiting with children is necessary. Please feel free to submit a videotape, audiotape and/or letters or recommendation with your application if you feel it will help to further describe the entertainment you will bring to the children.
  3. According to infection control and confidentiality policies, entertainers must be at least 18 years of age and in good health (please no children or family of entertainers). Anyone who has experienced exposure to or symptoms of flu, measles, mumps, hepatitis, chicken pox, rash, diarrhea or vomiting within the past four weeks may not visit. Any visitor who is currently ill is not permitted to visit.
  4. Most performances take place in small unit playrooms where space is limited. For this reason, visitors/entertainers will be asked to limit the size of the group to six people on the weekends and eight people during the week. Exceptions will be discussed and approved (i.e. musical groups/choirs singing in larger common areas of the hospital).

Guidelines for the day of your visit

  1. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia treats children with various illnesses and disabilities. For this reason, the audience will vary as far as the amount of children who are able to attend, how long they will be able to stay, and what their attention span will be like during their participation. Events should be interactive and participatory and should run 30 minutes to an hour.
  2. Attire must reflect the dress code of Children’s Hospital. The following dress code is required: no open toed shoes, no logo t-shirts with inappropriate slogans, no short skirts, no tank tops, and/or low cut tops. All tattoos must be covered with clothing.
  3. Visitors/entertainers may not distribute toys, prizes, gifts, or food items unless previously approved by the Child Life, Education and Creative Arts Therapy Department.
  4. The children you will be interacting with come from a wide variety of religious, political and social backgrounds. Therefore, we require that the content of any presentation or performance to be religiously and politically neutral.
  5. Groups should come prepared with all of the items that they will need for the visit. Performances may not include materials that are considered potentially dangerous or threatening (latex balloons, items that are fire hazards such as silly string, or contain themes such as violence, death, illness, medical care, or include scary costumes).
  6. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia maintains strict rules surrounding the privacy and confidentiality of the children it treats. Therefore, we only allow photographs to be taken by approved media in coordination with the Public Relations Department. Also, visitors/entertainers should not ask personal questions of the children’s medical conditions, family situations, treatment protocol and/or prognosis.
  7. Media coverage, while not encouraged, will be considered based on the content, size, and purpose of the visit/performance. Media presence can distract from the children’s experience and can limit participation due to consent forms for confidentiality. All media invitations or press releases must be coordinated with the hospital’s Public Relations Department at (267) 426-6072 at least a week in advance.
  8. Due to staff availability, these are the times when we can accommodate special events:
    Monday and Thursday: 2 to 4 p.m.
    Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 2 to 4 p.m.
    Saturday and Sunday: 2 to 4 p.m.
    Please know that there are only so many open slots per month. Slots are filled on a first come basis.
  9. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia will not be responsible for any injury, loss of personal belongings or equipment while you are visiting.
  10. The Child Life, Education and Creative Arts Therapy Department reserves the right to cancel or discontinue special programs at any time if they are thought to be inappropriate or unsafe for the patients.

Things that make visits successful

  1. Please respect the patient/family rights for privacy and make every effort to avoid sensitive topics. Refrain from asking questions about medical conditions, family situations, treatment protocol, prognosis or plans for going home.
  2. Approach children slowly and quietly. Allow the children to decide to what extent they wish to interact with you. If the child shows any resistance to greeting you, do not persist (and don’t take it personally).
  3. Successful events are age-appropriate, appeal to preschool children through young teenagers, and invite participation to some extent. Techniques such as asking open-ended questions, providing rhythm instruments, and engaging children in an arts and crafts project provide a connection between the visitor/performer and the children and families.
  4. Seek the advice of the child life specialist or other hospital staff if you have questions about the performance content, length, etc., or about the children’s needs.
  5. Smile, enjoy yourself, and most of all remember that children in the hospital are still children!

Application for providing entertainment

If you are interested in providing entertainment for the patients at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, please complete our online form. 

If you'd prefer, you can download and complete our application for entertainment . Completed applications can be mailed to the address listed at the bottom of the application.

Directions to the Wood Center parking lot

For directions to The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, select Children's Hospital Main Campus as your destination.

If you would like more information about our special events program, please call 215-590-2001 or email Child Life. We look forward to your visit!

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