Red Cross offers babysitter training

The Buffalo Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross is encouraging boys and girls 11 to 15 who would like to start their own baby-sitting business to enroll in the American Red Cross Babysitters Training Program.

Red Cross Babysitter’s Training Program can teach the skills to be a safe baby-sitter and smart business owner. Participants will learn how to tell when there is an emergency and when it’s a situation to confidently handle on your own.

The class is taught by an authorized Red Cross baby sitter’s training instructor who will also teach other baby sitting skills such as supervising children and infants, performing basic child-care skills such as diapering and feeding, choosing safe, age-appropriate games and toys, handling bedtime and discipline issues, identifying safety hazards and preventing injuries, caring for common injuries and emergencies such as choking, burns, cuts and bee stings, communicating effectively with parents and safely finding and interviewing for babysitting jobs.

Babysitter’s Training also gives tips on how to run a baby-sitting business. The program will show how to create a resume, interview with prospective parents and keep track of baby-sitting clients.

The Red Cross trains more than 120,000 babysitters each year nationwide.

For information on class schedules and registration, visit www.redcross.org. Upcoming classes are scheduled on Dec. 28, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Bring a sack lunch. Cost is $85. Scholarships are available for children on the reduced lunch program through school. Call 252-3550, ext. 2131 for more details.

Tags: community, education