Miscellaneous Instructor Tips

“I added a blank for an email address on the Registration Form. I take digital photos of each student throughout the course and a group photo at the end of class. Then I email the photos along with a thank-you note for attending the class and a reminder about Safe Sitter’s Web site.
I’ve also enlarged all the visuals to poster size and laminated them. I hang them up in the classroom which makes it easy for the students to refer to them as needed.”

Sharon Munns
Rochester, MN

“Since we sometimes have a hard time reading the students’ name tags, we created table tents. Using an 8 ½ x 11 sheet of paper, we can make two name tents. They are 4 ½ x 5 ½ and we put the Safe Sitter® logo on the side facing the student and print their names on the other side (the side facing out so others can read it). We put a dashed line about an inch from the bottom on both sides. The students fold the table tents in half at the top and then fold the bottom edges along the dotted lines toward each other. Taping the bottom edges together makes the table tents stand upright. The students take them with them to each rotation.”

Chris Guthro
Manchester, NH

“One of our local doctors, Ellen Sinclair Webber, M.D., provides lunch (usually pizza) for the students on a continual basis to show support for our Safe Sitter® program. She thinks Safe Sitter® is a wonderful program and only uses Safe Sitter® graduates for her two small children.”

D’Nette Orr
Ottawa, KS

“We developed a mixer game to help the students get to know each other while waiting for class to start. Each student gets a paper with squares on it saying things such as, 'Has a younger brother they babysit,' or 'Knows how to change a diaper,' etc. The students have to move around the room to find a different name for each square. The first person to have every square filled in before the bell ring wins! It's a lot of fun!"

Susan Danos
Cut Off, LA

"We play a Safe Sitter® version of Jeopardy. We divide the group in half; each half chooses a spokesperson and team name. It not only serves as a review but encourages team work. Each team congratulates the other with enthusiasm.”

Karen
Orlando, FL

“I put each student's Manual and name tag in a plastic hospital logo bag. Then I instruct the students to place their manikin face pieces in the bag when they are not being used. The bags keep the students' things together and eliminate the possibility of the manikin's face pieces being confused from one day to the next.”

Kathy
Indianapolis, IN

We walk to the nursery and view the babies as a welcome diversion during lunch. Along with the Guest, it gives us the opportunity to stress how much care and time is involved in caring for an infant.
We also take walks through the hospital’s labyrinth. The students come back refreshed and ready to learn.”

Judy
Shelby, NC

" We have a co-sponsor, Success By 6, a United Way program that helps us financially. The program encourages reading for children six years old and younger. Their financial assistance helps us advertise our Safe Sitter® classes. Success By 6 also gives two children's books to each graduating student - one book for a preschooler and one for a school age child."

Kay
Anderson, SC

" In addition to receiving financial assistance from United Way, each month Wal-Mart gives us a card, valued at $25, for student class supplies. We give a $10 coupon - good at any store in our community - to our guest, which is an incentive in recruiting guests."

Peggy
New London, WI

"We really let the students shine at the Ceremony! We break them up into groups of 3 or 4 students and ask them to present a component of the class. Some make posters while others put on short skits. The kids get to show off their new knowledge and the visual learning and creativity enhances their retention. All of the students are involved so no parent feels his/her child is left out. The parents love it when the students are presenting. The kids enjoy it – they do a great job!"

Ellen
Liberty, MO

"Having enough manikins - we use 3 or 4 - so each student gets to practice helps keep them involved.

We use as many concrete props as we can. During the practice for greeting skills, we use large stuffed dolls to represent children the sitters greet. We've made posters from magazine pictures of people dressed appropriately and inappropriately for babysitting."

Donna
New Orleans

"We copy the Registration Form on one side of paper and the Student Contract on the other side when sending them to potential students. This helps to make sure that we always get both forms back. Also, since our classes are typically close together, we color-code the forms to make them easier to sort."

Lori
Greensburg, IN

"We display posters with babysitting themes from previous classes. They visually reinforce concepts we are teaching and many times the artists are friends or relatives of current students!
We are known for our fun classes - with lots of input from the students. They even decide which class day to have our 'famous pizza party'.
Our Ceremony is very interactive. The students, in small groups, perform skits for their parents. They present their idea and it must relate to the curriculum. We also have a Q & A session for the parents. It's a very positive experience!"

Karen
Huntsville, AL

"We received grant money from the Paterson Educational Partnership for the 21st Century Community Learning Center to teach Safe Sitter® to 208 students as part of an after-school program in two public schools. The schools are located in a low-income area.
We also used grant money from the Turrell Fund of Montclair to teach Safe Sitter® at two libraries. The grant money paid for the Instructors and the library provided the space and a snack."

Lillian
Paterson, NJ

"If you have potential Instructors, invite them to a class so they can have a 'taste' of how the program works!"

Barbara
Newport, RI

"The Rutland Kiwanis Club purchased an interactive 911 simulator device for our Home Alone program and now we also use it in our Safe Sitter® classes. The students use it to practice making calls to 911 during class and demonstrate it to their parents during the Ceremony. The display is large enough and loud enough for the entire class to see and hear. It is more realistic than role-playing using a telephone and they love it!"

Susan
Rutland, VT

"We've found it very helpful to recruit school nurses as Instructors. They are off work when the students are off school and appreciate the extra money to teach."

Linda
Muncie, IN

Successful Testing

The key to successful testing of students is the number of Instructors on hand. For example, if you've had a class of 18 students with three Instructors, you need to have at least four or five Instructors for testing. The additional Instructors will help ease the "rushed" feeling you may experience trying to get testing completed before the graduation ceremony is supposed to start. Additional Instructors will help everyone end on a positive note and they will be eager to sign up to teach another class!

"We applied for a grant and received funding through the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Services Community-Based Initiatives Program. The money will be used to purchase Student Manuals and Important Number Pads. We're recruiting students by sending a flier to the four surrounding counties. We've also recruited Instructors with the same flier. I am excited about this because we can train at least 200 students for free!"

Ann
Morgantown, WV

The LifeSavers® tradition began in the first Safe Sitter® classes taught by Dr. Keener. She would say, "We can't make you lifesavers, but we can give you LifeSavers®!"

"I noticed the students exchanging Web sites rather than telephone numbers in one of our classes, so I now tell the students to not advertise on the internet just as they shouldn't advertise on bulletin boards."

Ellen
Crawfordsville, IN

"After discussing the Student Contract during the Welcome, I invite additional ground rules from the students. It helps them take ownership of the ground rules."

Maeve
Middletown, CT

"We've put Safe Sitter's Web site on the Registration Form. This gives the parents and students an opportunity to link with Safe Sitter® even before the class!."

Barbara
Newport, RI

"We teach the students to 'Stop-Think-Remember your Skill Rule' when teaching rescue skills. It helps them to calm down and focus on what they need to do if there's an emergency. One of our graduates last year saved his friend who was choking. He told me that he remembered this rule during the incident and it really helped him."

Madras, OR

"During the Review, we encourage the students to put a dot on their cards next to the content (which are also test questions) and we point out where the answers can be found in the Manual. This helps them learn how to use their Manual as a resource for the test and when babysitting"

Ft. Myers, FL

"When teaching choking procedures, have the students blow into their closed fist. This illustrates what it feels like to blow against an obstructed airway."

Indianapolis, IN

"When teaching choking child rescue, I have the students sit in a circle on the floor for the demonstration and practice. It is easier and more realistic to have the students practice with the manikins 'standing up' since most toddlers and preschoolers would be too big for their laps. It is easier for the Instructors and the other students to observe technique as well."

Paterson, NJ

"We use a digital camera to capture special moments during our classes - students getting hands-on experience, Instructors interacting with the students, students hard at work during testing, etc. We project these pictures in a slide show before and during the Ceremony to give the parents an idea of some of the fun and hard work their children experienced. The kids also love seeing themselves in our graduation 'show.'"

Cottonwood, AZ

"When teaching choking infant rescue, I have the students put their chairs in a circle to practice. It makes it easier to demonstrate and reinforce the leg ramp."

Milton, WA

"Whenever anyone calls our hospital about Safe Sitter®, I always refer them to Safe Sitter's Web site."

Newport, RI

"When asking the Review Questions, I ask the students where they would find the information in their Manuals for each question. This reinforces the use of their Student Manuals as a reference."

Indianapolis, IN

I play games, such as Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes, Simon Says, Silly Willy or Bingo Was His Name, with the students between the rotations to get them physically active. The games are brief and the kids always have fun.

Greenfield, IN

A fun way to "sweeten up" the review with the students is to toss Safe Sitter® Lifesavers to each student as he/she correctly answers your questions. Make sure no one answers more than one question until everyone gets a package.

Safe Sitter® trivia: The Lifesaver tradition began in the first Safe Sitter® classes taught by Dr. Keener. She would say, "We can't make you lifesavers, but we can give you Lifesavers!"

"We had the ground rules blown up to poster size and posted in the room. It makes it easy to review them each day."

Muncie, IN