Policies & Procedures

A: When conducting Safe Sitter® classes, Instructors are asked to refrain from distributing educational material, including educational videos, not prepared by Safe Sitter®. There are two reasons for this policy: information overload and the possibility of information in the materials conflicting with information in the curriculum.

As Instructors can attest, the curriculum is already extremely fact-dense. The students have an enormous amount of new information to absorb in a short period of time. Adding extra brochures, fliers, articles, videos, etc., even though related to Safe Sitter® content and worthwhile in themselves, may contribute to students feeling overwhelmed and exhausted instead of feeling excited and motivated. Good intentions can backfire, resulting in information overload.

Curriculum conflict is another concern. The Safe Sitter® curriculum is specific to the developmental level of the young adolescent. Most other first aid and child care resources are targeted at an adult audience. For example, most written material or videos about poisoning advise the "rescuer' to call the Poison Center while Safe Sitter® teaches the babysitter to ask an immediately available adult to make the call to the Poison Center. Adolescents are confused by this seemingly conflicting information and are likely to take away the message that there is no right answer. In this case, use of an educational enhancement actually detracts from the educational experience.

We ask Safe Sitter® Instructors to demonstrate their commitment to young adolescents and the Safe Sitter® curriculum by preserving the integrity of the curriculum. If you know of information that you consider so essential to the Safe Sitter® curriculum that it should be routinely included in the course content, please forward it to Safe Sitter® National Headquarters. In the unusual situation where an Instructor feels compelled to utilize additional resources (after careful examination of the resources for accuracy and appropriateness), the Instructor is to identify the educational enhancements as "non-Safe Sitter®" and not endorsed by Safe Sitter®.

A: Safe Sitter® asks that you do not schedule a expert speakers for two reasons - time and content. Keeping the class segments on schedule is always a concern for Instructors. Adding a speaker requires adding time to the class or leaving something out. The time taken for the introduction of the speaker and the speaker's introductory remarks take time that you simply don't have.

Curriculum content is also a concern. A speaker who is an expert and who is not familiar with the Safe Sitter® course material may give information which seems or is inconsistent with Safe Sitter® curriculum. This can be very confusing to the students. The expert's advice may not be geared to the developmental level of a middle schooler. The expert's advice might be appropriate for an adult but not appropriate for a 12-year-old babysitter. Handling such inconsistencies or inappropriate advice can put Instructors in a difficult and sometimes embarrassing situation.

Remember, you, the Safe Sitter® Instructor, are the expert for Safe Sitter®.

Safe Sitter® is committed to being available and affordable. To help ensure the inclusion of students from all income levels, there is a national scholarship program. National Headquarters provides FREE Student Manuals for students who cannot afford the normal class fee.

How to apply for the scholarships:

• Your site will receive one FREE Student Manual and Completion Card for each scholarship granted.
• To request scholarships for your students, click on Student Manual Scholarship Request PDF and complete the Student Manual Scholarship Form.
• One form may be used for all scholarships requested for a class. The form should be submitted by the Site Coordinator - not the student's parent. Student's names do not need to be submitted. There is no predetermined limit on the number of scholarships a site may request per year.
• There are several ways to identify the need for a scholarship, such as the student's participation in the school subsidized lunch program or comments from the parent/guardian indicating financial hardship.
• Submit the form when you order supplies. Along with your other supplies, we will ship a Student Manual for each scholarship granted. If you are unaware of a student's need at the time of ordering, you may submit the form after a class and we will ship a Student Manual for each granted at that time.
• Because the scholarship only covers the cost of a Student Manual and Completion Card, sites are encouraged to seek local sources for additional funding. Possible sources of funds are hospital auxiliaries, foundations, local service clubs, or local businesses. Students receiving scholarships can be charged a reduced fee. Sites are urged to charge at least a nominal fee to encourage participant investment and follow-through.
• Advertise the availability of scholarships to prospective students, using words such as "Scholarships are available based on need".