Giving

High School Students

To help ensure the safety of our patients, their families, our employees, and our volunteers, and in adherence to the CDC guidelines, we have made the decision to suspend all volunteer activity at Cincinnati Children’s indefinitely. We will provide updates when we are able to resume regular programming.

We will not have a summer high school volunteer program in 2021.  

The high school program strives to provide volunteers with a rich, well-rounded experience. It offers the opportunity to develop team-building and leadership skills, while encouraging personal growth and improved self-awareness. Our teen volunteers experience an introduction to the pediatric environment as they complete meaningful tasks under the supervision of hospital staff. 

The program is competitive, with only the highest scoring applicants being accepted, and requires that students commit to strict standards of conduct and exhibit the professionalism required of anyone wearing a Cincinnati Children’s badge.  

High school volunteers have the opportunity to apply for participation in three sessions spread out over the course of the year. They may participate in any or all of the following sessions: Summer, Fall (which comprises the first half of the school year), or Spring (which comprises the second half of the school year). 

All volunteers must be at least 15 years of age and must have completed the ninth grade. A weekly commitment of two to three hours is required for the duration of the session.   

Teen volunteers who score high enough on their application packets to proceed to the next round are required to attend an information session with their parent or guardian in addition to scheduling an in-person interview and attending an in-person orientation session. Specific details regarding the important dates for each session are included in the application packet. Due to the competitive nature of the program, no exceptions are made for those who are unable to attend any of the mandatory events. 

Watch video to see an example of our teen volunteers in action.

Frequently Asked Questions

Need more information? Please scroll through to see if your question is addressed below:

Because of all that is involved in our onboarding process and the large number of applicants we are working with for each session, it takes a significant amount of time. We typically post the application 5-6 months before the start of the session, so you can expect to see the link to the summer application, for example, in January. You would then have approximately two months to complete your packet before the due date. Because of the competitive nature of the program, we will not accept applications that arrive in our office after the posted due date for each session.

We are unable to facilitate capstone projects through Volunteer Services. However, there are ways to get involved in supporting the hospital that might satisfy the requirements of your program.  Please visit our Host a Fundraiser page for ideas. 
Because you are still in high school when you apply in the spring, you are required to complete the high school application packet to be eligible for the summer program. 
Job shadowing is an academic pursuit, and therefore is not coordinated through Volunteer Services.  To learn about the job shadowing program at Cincinnati Children’s, please visit the Job Shadow Program.
No. All teens must attend the information session with a parent or guardian in order to be eligible to volunteer. If you cannot do so, please consider applying for the next session instead. There are no exceptions made for trips, sports, or school events.
No. If you have other commitments that will cause you to have poor attendance, this program is not a good match. We require that our volunteers complete no less than 80% of their scheduled shifts in order to stay in the program, and we do not have the ability to schedule you multiple times during the week so that you can achieve that marker.

Yes. Teens who wish to continue on to the next session or return after taking a session off must submit the Returning Teen application by the due date for consideration. Their attendance and success in the previous session will be strongly taken into account.

No. The supervisors you volunteer with will not have the time or resources to supervise a service learning endeavor.

Contact Information