Safe Sitter Course
The Best Babysitter is a SAFE SITTER!
Safe Sitter is a medically accurate program that teaches 11 to 13 year-olds how to be safe, nurturing babysitters. Dr. Patricia Keener, an Indianapolis, IN pediatrician, developed the Safe Sitter program in 1980 after a colleague’s child choked to death while in the care of an adult sitter. The goal of the Safe Sitter program is to reduce the number of avoidable and unintentional deaths among children being cared for by babysitters.
The Safe Sitter course offers participants the opportunity to acquire competencies in rescue skills, basic first aid and safe child care. During the course, instructors provide students hands-on practice in basic lifesaving techniques so they are prepared to act in a crisis. Instructors also provide tips to help sitters become confident caregivers, including safety and security precautions, such as what to do if a stranger comes to the door and when and how to call for help. Information on child development, age-appropriate activities, responsibilities and ethics of safe babysitting, age-appropriate activities and the business aspects of babysitting are also provided.
After material is presented during the 15-hour course (usually taught in a two-day period), each student must pass a rigorous-- but reasonable—practical and written test to show that they have mastered the key concepts and have the skills necessary to handle any emergency.
Safe Sitter classes are available through Aspirus Keweenaw. The program is usually a two-day class; however, other scheduling options are available for groups such as Girl Scouts, church youth groups, or after-school programs. Classes are often filled from waiting lists, so please call to have your child’s name placed on the list.
For more information about Safe Sitter, contact Jan List, RN, at (906) 337-6528 or jlist@aspiruskeweenaw.org, or Elaine Parks, RN, at (906) 337-6598 or eparks@aspiruskeweenaw.org.
