What Will I Learn?

Babysitting is important business. Do you have the skills you need to do it well? Safe Sitter® can teach you!

The Safe Sitter® program was created by Patricia A. Keener, M.D., a well-respected pediatrician who's known across the country.

Becoming a Safe Sitter® means you'll gain confidence and know how to handle situations that may happen on the job. This knowledge will help you in the future too!

Because there are only eight students for each Instructor, you'll get to see everything that's going on and ask any questions you want. This is important for two reasons. It makes learning more comfortable for you; you're not lost in a sea of other students.

It also means you'll get the time and attention you need to do well on the tests at the end of class. You'll have to use a CPR manikin to show that you've learned what to do if an infant or child chokes. You'll also have to pass a written test on what you've learned throughout the entire class. If you take the 12 ½-hour course, you'll also learn Infant & Child CPR techniques.

So, what else do you learn when you take Safe Sitter®?

• As a babysitter, you're responsible for the safety of the child you're watching. This means knowing how, why and where injuries can happen so you can prevent them from happening at all.
• What happens if the child you're babysitting is injured? You'll need to decide how serious the problem is. Can you use the first aid you've learned or do you need to get help?
• Your safety, not just the safety of the child you're watching, is important too. Would you know what to do if that safety was threatened? What if there was a power failure inside the house or prowler outside? You'll learn how to handle unsafe situations like these. You'll also learn ways to let your parents or other adult know if you need to be picked up immediately from a babysitting job because you feel unsafe.
• What makes a baby different than a two-year-old? Knowing how children grow and change will help you take the best and most gentle care of them, including feeding and diapering.
• How would you handle a child who's having a temper tantrum? What if the children were fighting? Hopefully, you can stop this from happening at all! We'll teach you some ways how. But, if things seem to get out of control, you'll learn how and when to call for help.
• As a babysitter, you have a job. You offer an important service. Do you know how to run your business? You'll have to set fees, decide whether or not to take a job, know your own babysitting abilities and learn what information to leave with your parents and what information to get from the parents of the children you babysit.