What qualifies somebody as a life coach for children?

I recently came across someone online calling themselves a "kids life coach," and I have to say, I was pretty taken aback by the content they were posting. It was misleading, inaccurate and quite frankly shocking advice for parents...(sorry I don't know how to sugar coat this!) They seemed more concerned about creating their lifestyle of coaching online and making money....and preying on desperate parents to do it!

If I was a parent, who was desperate and didn't know any better (ie. the science of developmental psychology)...my vulnerability and desperation may have made me susceptible to their words. I may have trusted them with my children. I may even have seen results for a short bit. But in truth...I probably would have found out the hard way in the long term that the bad advice this Kids Life Coach was giving me as a parent, was a ticking time bomb. 

It made me realise just how scary it is out there at the moment! Since the pandemic, anybody and everybody is jumping onto the digital train. Coaching online? Anybody who knows their stuff knows that there is a time and place for this but it can never replace in person coaching and the solid foundation of relationship building that children need to flourish.

Anyone can claim to be a "life coach" these days, but that doesn’t mean they have the right skills, knowledge, or ethics to actually help kids. Many of them come under qualified with bigger hearts than common sense. But a big heart and passion isn't enough to make anybody an effective kids life coach. 

I believe it is important it is to be really thoughtful about who parents trust to guide and support their children. I would never recommend any parent working with someone who doesn’t have the proper qualifications and who doesn’t seem genuinely committed to the well-being of the children they’re working with.  

If I was a parent considering hiring a kids life coach, I would keep these very important questions in mind:  

📝 What are their qualifications?  

📝 Are they trained in child development or a related field?  

📝 Are they registered with any professional membership or association?  

📝 Who is their insurance with?  

📝 Do they have a supervisor, and how often do they receive professional supervision?  

These are the basics, but they’re so important when it comes to parents making sure their children are in safe, capable hands. To me a kids life coach should be someone who is not just passionate about working with children, but also well-prepared to support them in healthy, meaningful ways.

If you were hoping the answer to the question "What qualifies somebody as a life coach for children?" was easy, I am afraid I will have to disappoint you here. There is nothing that 100% qualifies anybody. Not even  an accredited training programme can do that. (Let's not get me started on that topic now...another blog for another day?) Also after the pandemic, there were so many training programmes that popped up offering certificates, diplomas, trainings, certifications...call it what you want....none of them (including my organisation The Kids Life Studio® Coach Academy) are regulated in any way. From my research many of these "training service providers" offer superficial 'scratch the surface' kind of content and they are lacking in the depth needed to understand the psychology of childhood. 

Why am I sharing this? Well, I fear that social media is making "novices" appear to be experts and quite frankly if parents don't know any better they will continue to fall prey to the kind of life coach that prompted me to write this blog. The kind of coach who talks the marketing talk but doesn't know how to walk the coaching walk. 

So what can we do about raising the standards of Kids Life Coaching? It starts with every single one of us. We need to maintain our professional supervision, engage in continuous professional development and lean into our passion for making a difference by speaking up about what makes a good life coach for children and what doesn't. 

At Kids Life Studio®, all of our students sign a code of ethics BEFORE they start our Level 3 Kids Life Coach Certification training. This holds them accountable for safeguarding children through the choices they make, the pathway they choose, and the professional standards they adhere to. Our training is not easy...but it is extensive and clinical and based not only on "book learning" or "research" but it is a carefully curated journey of personal development and professional supervision.

Thanks for sticking with me on this one! I have been coaching children since 2003 and I remain committed to excellence and so should you! We owe it to the parents and their children that we are privileged to coach.