SAFE SITTER® AT YOUR PARK

Looking for something new and different to include in your mix of programming? Want an inexpensive, easy-to-implement curriculum? Safe Sitter® may be just what you're looking for. To date, nearly a half-million young adolescents have completed the course, many at over 30 park and recreation centers across the country.

In the Lake Geneva area of southeast Wisconsin, the Elkhorn Parks & Recreation Department began offering Safe Sitter® training in 2001. The park district draws from Elkhorn, a small town of 8,800 people and nearby Delavan, with approximately the same population. Regardless of the area's size, the Safe Sitter® class is offered six times a year and fills up every time, according to Director Jeffrey Simons. "The kids are really excited about it and enjoy it," says Simons.

"Safe Sitter® has enhanced our program offerings and allowed us to be well rounded," adds Simons. "It's a very worthwhile program for departments looking to diversify programming."

Most kids of babysitting age don't realize the challenges of babysitting until they go through Safe Sitter® training. Andrew, a Safe Sitter® graduate from Indiana, who took the class when he was 12, said, "Babysitting is harder than I thought, but I feel better about it now because I know I can do it."

Self-confidence is just one of the positive benefits of Safe Sitter® training. The program also instills a sense of responsibility and of ethics and fosters character development. Perhaps most importantly, it provides life-long skills to its participants. It's a philosophy that defines Safe Sitter®, which is apparent in its tagline, "Better Sitters Today. Better Parents Tomorrow."

"It's a wonderful program for the families in our community- the babysitters and the children they babysit for. A local church requires their teen sitters to take our Safe Sitter® program," said Vickie Muszynski, director of East Troy Parks & Recreation Department in East Troy, Michigan.

The Town of Fishers Parks and Recreation Department in Indiana has offered Safe Sitter® training since 2003 and continues to have a waiting list each time the course is offered during spring, summer and fall breaks, according to Recreation Manager Amber Mink.

Mink says students enjoy the hands-on practice with child-sized manikins as well as the group interaction, games and role-playing. "The kids enjoy practicing diapering and airway rescue on the manikins, but they also enjoy the section on safety where they learn how to handle situations."

Wanda Block, Safety Town coordinator with Elmhurst Park District in Elmhurst, Illinois, is an experienced educator and has high praise for the Safe Sitter® curriculum. "I am a teacher with two special degrees and have been teaching for 21 years. I love the Safe Sitter® curriculum! It's very complete and comprehensive - from teaching the students how to talk to an adult, to growth and development, to how to handle emergencies," says Block.

"New parents could benefit from taking this course," she adds. "I enjoy every class I teach for the park district!"

If you would like to learn more about the Safe Sitter® curriculum or how to become a Safe Sitter® training site, contact Safe Sitter® at safesitter@safesitter.org or (800) 255-4089.