Caring for children is likely to be the most important responsibility any of us will ever have. It makes no difference if you are caring for your brothers and sisters, babysitting for a neighbor's children or raising your own family. Whether you are 13 or 30 years old, your primary responsibility as a care provider is the HEALTH, SAFETY and WELFARE of those in your care.
Everyone who cares for children needs to learn basic First Aid and CPR. And if you are caring for the very young, the training must include special instruction relevant to newborns and infants. A Babysitting course will help prepare you as a young care-provider for the responsibilities involved in babysitting. The right training and education will give you confidence, make you a highly desired sitter and help protect children in your care.
Jr. High and High School students can get a few friends together who are also interested in First Aid/CPR and Babysitting classes. Approach a teacher or school administrator and ask them to contact the local Red Cross chapter about providing a training program at your school.Public libraries, churches, synagogues and mosques are also often eager to help make arrangements for training and certification classes. Of course you may also call your local Red Cross chapter to see if they have any classes already scheduled in your area. Visit www.redcross.org/where/where.html to find the local chapter of the American Red Cross near you..
The Red Cross offers an excellent babysitting training course designed for babysitters from age 11 to 15. Read about it online at the Red Cross Babysitting Course website: www.redcross.org/services/hss/courses/babyindex.html. There is also a very good (and inexpensive) babysitting course available at www.BabySittingClass.com
College students can take advantage of courses offered on campus. Call the student affairs office or Student Health Center at your school for more information.
Adults can visit the Red Cross Website at www.redcross.org/where/where.html to find their local Red Cross office and contact them about course times and locations.
There are also several companies that offer ONLINE First Aid & CPR training and certification. Most allow you to complete their training courses free and only charge if you choose to become certified.
http://www.CPRToday.com offers ONLINE First Aid & CPR training and certification. Use code 2AC59C for a 10% discount on all certifications. Additional resources may be found at http://www.4inhomecare.com and http://www.sittercafe.com.
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Michael Gerard has more than 25 years sales and marketing experience in the consumer products industry. He is a past board member of The Alliance of Professinal Nanny Agencies (APNA) and currently serves as Education Committee Chairperson of the International Nanny Association (INA). Mr. Gerard is the Executive Director of both The Sitter Cafe LLC and Childcare Solutions. Write to him at michael at 4inhomecare dot com.