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Katelyn Kieleszewski, MEd, CCLS, worked around the world for the last decade before she joined UVA Health Children’s as Child Life Supervisor in fall 2025. Now, the global perspectives she gained, and the connections she made (and kept!), helped her coordinate a partnership to welcome three Certified Child Life Specialists from Saudi Arabia to UVA Health Children’s in Charlottesville, Virginia, this summer. 

'A Contrasting Experience'

Kielezewski had spent three years in Qatar as a Licensed and Certified Child Life Specialist working at a new women’s and children’s hospital, where she helped develop and launch a Child Life program from the ground up, then returned to the United States and worked in Hawaii. That was followed by several summers in a supervisory and educator role in South Africa, supporting Child Life students from the United States during their practicum experiences. Kielezewski then completed a one-year contract as a Child Life Supervisor and Educator in Germany, contributing to the development and national expansion of Child Life services there. Most recently, she’d held a short-term contract with Abdulrahman's Oasis — The Child Life Foundation in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 

It was at that nonprofit that Kielezewski worked with Cara Smith, MA, CCLS, last summer. And it was Smith, Child Life Program Director at Abdulrahman's Oasis, who reached out to Kielezewski in spring 2026. Turns out, Smith was arranging a clinical shadowing experience for three Child Life Specialists from King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital to visit two children’s hospitals in the United States. She’d already confirmed Cincinnati Children’s Hospital for the first stop, and was in discussions with several other facilities that hoped to become the second site. 

Kielezewski proudly pitched UVA Health Children’s! “We offer a contrasting experience as a smaller children’s hospital within a hospital system, with a smaller Child Life program that provides a different workflow and resource model compared to a large standalone institution like Cincinnati Children’s,” she explains. “UVA Health Children’s serves a distinct patient population and community, offering additional cultural and regional differences in the workforce and families served.”

Lead, Design, Sustain

The three international observers visited Cincinnati Children’s Hospital from June 15 to 26, then arrived on June 29 at UVA Health Children’s. Shaykah “Shay” Alsubaie, CCLS; Raghad Alsalamah, CCLS; and Safiah Alhussaini, CCLS, stayed through July 10, engaging in what Kieleszewski describes as “a structured shadowing experience across clinical, operational, and administrative domains in UVA Health Children’s Child Life Services.” 

The goal: to build foundational and advanced competencies that support the nationalization of their program — with a focus on developing leadership capacity, program management skills, and confidence in driving service development. “Through this exposure, they aimed to strengthen their ability to independently lead, design, and sustain Child Life programs within their own healthcare system,” shares Kieleszewski. 

The observers shadowed two Child Life Activity Coordinators and three Certified Child Life Specialists for one day each. For the remainder of the visit, Kieleszewski worked with the three observers as a small group to discuss various program development, leadership, and other topics. They also met with pediatric multidisciplinary team members to broaden the observers’ exposure to clinical and operational workflows. 

Kieleszewski explains that the observers' long-term goal is to help fully nationalize their Child Life program in Saudi Arabia so it is no longer dependent on expatriate leadership. “This includes building competency in management, supervision, and broader administrative responsibilities — not only direct, patient-facing skills, but also the ‘behind-the-scenes’ work required to lead and sustain a Child Life program independently.”

Reciprocal Learning 

Knowledge flowed in both directions: “This also is intended as a mutually beneficial exchange of learning to foster cultural awareness and professional collaboration between teams. Our department also benefited through shared dialogue, reflection, and exposure to international perspectives in Child Life practice. As part of their visit, the team from Saudi Arabia provided an in-service and resource sharing session for our Child Life team, further contributing to reciprocal learning and strengthening global connections.”  

The visit is full circle for Kieleszewski, Smith, and the observers: “Personally, I was really excited to see these women again!” Kieleszewski shares. “When I said goodbye in Saudi Arabia, I didn’t know if I would have the opportunity to reconnect with them — so it feels especially meaningful to now welcome them to my home, community, country, and hospital. I'm incredibly proud of our Child Life team for enthusiastically embracing this opportunity and welcoming our international observers. From the outset, they demonstrated a genuine openness to knowledge sharing and engaged in meaningful conversations and debriefs about healthcare systems, pediatric psychosocial care, and Child Life practice across cultures.” 

She adds: “Their willingness to teach, learn, and reflect exemplifies the professionalism, compassion, flexibility, and commitment to continuous growth that defines our team.” 

Kieleszewski says the engagement helped create an environment of reciprocal learning that enriched the experience for everyone involved and further strengthened her department’s commitment to cultural humility, collaboration, and advancing the field of Child Life. 

Embracing the Vision 

Kieleszewski also is “deeply grateful” to Amy Cesak, CCLS, Patient- and Family-Centered Care Manager and Child Life Services Manager. “Her support and advocacy made this experience possible. From the very beginning, Amy embraced my vision for this partnership. Her willingness to support innovative opportunities such as this is a true testament to her steadfast leadership.” 

Adds Kieleszewski: “International Child Life programming is deeply meaningful and important to me, and supporting pediatric psychosocial care on a global level is something I remain passionate about. Although I am now back working in the United States — that commitment continues, and this experience feels like a meaningful way to stay connected to that broader landscape while also engaging our current team, which is something that truly means a lot to me and reflects the value that our department places on collaboration and impact — now at the international level!” 

She calls it "a powerful example" of how Child Life work extends far beyond direct patient care, with a ripple effect that influences systems, programs, and practice across settings and in this case — across an ocean! 

The international observers also had the opportunity to meet with leadership. Hails UVA Health Children’s interim Chief Jason Lineen, MBA, who also serves as Chief Strategy Officer, UVA Health: “Our Child Life team is doing incredible work at many levels! Now, they’re elevating our Child Life expertise onto the global stage!”