Helping kids be kids, even in the hospital

Pam Baranowski
Assistant, Child Life Program    
Penn State Health Children’s Hospital

Pam Baranowski knows firsthand the difference the Child Life Program at Penn State Health Children’s Hospital can make. As the mother of a child born with a congenital heart defect who received all his care at the hospital, she sees her work as an assistant with the donor-supported program as the perfect way to give back.

“I first learned about the Child Life team from the support they provided my daughter as a sibling and to my husband and me as parents,” she said. “Every day, I’m motivated to work with kids and help their parents advocate for them, so they can have the same positive experience my family had.”

Patients and their families turn to the Children’s Hospital for its ability to treat the most complex and critical illnesses and injuries. In this high-stress environment, the Child Life Program plays a crucial role, helping to ease the emotional and psychological impact of treatment. From the moment a child arrives, Pam focuses on introducing them to the program and fostering a sense of normalcy.

“If a patient enjoys reading at home, it might mean finding those familiar books so they keep reading. It could be listening to a patient and talking things out. Or it might be sitting down with them for an activity that lets them express themselves,” she said. “The most important thing is to help them still be kids, even in the hospital.”

It’s stories like these that drive our purpose.