December 9, 1998
Adventures in babysitting
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Crying toddlers, bumped heads, picky eaters or ringing doorbells.
These are just a few of the situations a babysitter can run into during their few hours taking over for parents. What to do and how best to do it may not come naturally at first, especially for kids not much beyond being babysat themselves.
Determined to become babysitting professionals and learn all they could, 27 children voluntarily gave up nearly six hours of their time last Saturday morning to attend a Superstar Babysitting course. Offered by the Grand Traverse County chapter of the American Red Cross, the course covered everything from first aid and emergency procedures to diapering, discipline and details of the business.
"I like the responsibility of babysitting and I wanted to learn more about it," said Christine Burns, 11, who has been babysitting for three years. "I have lots of new cousins to watch."
The students practiced first aid, CPR, diapering and feeding techniques, learned about what toys are safe for what ages, and discussed what to do in different types of emergency situations. Participants also learned how interview first-time clients and go through their routines and home with them. They also received a checklist to give the parents to list important phone numbers and family routines.
The Superstar Babysitting course uses a mixture of video, discussion and hands-on practice as students work their way through a detailed workbook, which they keep. Course graduates receive a pin and a certificate, plus a lot of professionalism.
"This is a new program, just coming out," said Nancy Clark, a volunteer with the Red Cross who teaches the first aid portion of the course. "Because so many parents are working, there is a real need for babysitting and this class gives them a lot of skills and confidence."
The local chapter of the Red Cross has offered the Superstar Babysitting course for three years. They usually offer it every other month, but could fill more classes if they had additional teachers.
"We have kids banging on the door and we really need more instructors," Clark said. "It's always such a neat group of kids, they chose to come here and they know they're going to make money so they take it seriously."
Carrie Cobb, 14, took the babysitting course two years ago. She babysits often for families in her neighborhood and makes $5 an hour to watch two kids. With her father the executive director of the Red Cross and her mother one of the course's teachers, Cobb knew a lot about babysitting going in, but she also learned a lot during the class.
"It helped me learn CPR and gave me more confidence to take care of kids," said Cobb, who now sometimes helps her mother teach the course. "Parents trust you a lot more when they know you've had the class."
Susan Kenney of Peninsula Township lives next door and has hired Cobb to babysit her two children for three years. Kenney is very pleased with the professionalism and confidence she sees in children who have taken the babysitting course, and her own daughter recently completed it.
"I feel safer with these kids," said Kenney, who is also a member of the Red Cross board of directors. "You can notice a very big change in the kids who take the class. They are definitely more capable of keeping their heads and it makes a big difference in how they handle the children."
The next Superstar Babysitting for children age 11 and older course will be offered in January; contact the Grand Traverse County chapter of the American Red Cross for more information.