Babysitter's Training

The newly revised American Red Cross Babysitter’s Training course is an excellent opportunity to prepare young people for the many responsibilities associated with caring for infants and young children.

The purpose of this course is to provide youth who are planning to babysit with the knowledge and skills necessary to safely and responsibly give care for children and infants. This training will help participants to develop leadership skills; learn how to develop a babysitting business, keep themselves and others safe and help children behave; and learn about basic child care and basic first aid.

Each course participant receives not only with a handbook for use during and after the course but also a compact emergency reference guide and activity booklet to take with them to their job. A CD-ROM that contains resume and business card templates, an electronic babysitting organizer to store client information, interactive exercises to enhance learning and other features is also included in the participant’s set.

To be certified in Babysitter's Training, participants need to:

  • Attend all class sessions.
  • Participate in all skill sessions and activities.
  • Demonstrate competency in all observable skills.

The American Red Cross Babysitter’s Training objectives are:

  • Define leadership and identify role modeling, respect, communication, motivation, taking action and decision making as important leadership skills.
  • Identify ways to respect diversity among the children they babysit.
  • Apply the FIND decision-making model to common babysitting situations.
  • Use safe and appropriate techniques for finding babysitting jobs.
  • List good business practices and professional work behaviors for babysitting.
  • Identify safety-related problems and know how to prevent, recognize and fix them to create a safer environment in and around the home.
  • Identify which behaviors to expect from children based on their ages and developmental stages.
  • Describe the importance of play for children’s growth and development.
  • List and apply appropriate techniques to prevent misbehavior and help children engage in desired behaviors.
  • List at least three types of basic child care.
  • Recognize an emergency.
  • Identify and apply the emergency action steps: CHECK—CALL—CARE.
  • Explain the differences between life-threatening and nonlife-threatening emergencies.
  • Identify who to call and when to call in different emergency situations.
  • Describe how to check a conscious child or infant.
  • Explain how to care for bleeding and burns.
  • Demonstrate the proper way to wash their hands.
  • Demonstrate how to properly remove disposable gloves.
  • Demonstrate how to pick up and hold an infant and toddler.
  • Demonstrate how to bottle-feed an infant.
  • Demonstrate how to spoon-feed an infant or toddler.
  • Demonstrate how to diaper an infant or toddler.
  • Demonstrate how to help a conscious child or infant who is choking.
  • Demonstrate how to check an unconscious child or infant.
  • Demonstrate how to give care to an unconscious child or infant who is not breathing.
  • Demonstrate the steps to control external bleeding.

Special Note: This course does not provide certification in First Aid or CPR. It does, however, provide you with some knowledge and skill practice in these areas. If you want certification, it is recommended that you enroll in an American Red Cross CPR or a First Aid course.

Please contact a facility near you for dates, times and class fees.

Dodge County
Watertown Regional Medical Center 920-262-4639

Kenosha County

AM Credit Union
262-554-9997
Lakeview RecPlex, Pleasant Prairie 262-947-0437

Milwaukee County

Franklin Recreation 414-423-4646
Greendale Recreation 414-423-2790
Greenfield Park & Recreation 414-329-5370
Hales Corner Library 414-529-6150
Jewish Community Center, Whitefish Bay 414-967-8200
Milwaukee Public Schools Recreation 414-475-8811
Nicolet Recreation, Glendale 414-351-7566
Shorewood Recreation 414-963-6913
South Shore YMCA, Cudahy 414-571-9622
South West YMCA, Greenfield 414-546-9622
Wauwatosa Recreation 414-773-2900
West Suburban YMCA, Wauwatosa 414-302-9622
West Allis/West Milwaukee Recreation 414-604-4900
Whitefish Bay Recreation 414-963-3947

Ozaukee County

Cedarburg Recreation 262-375-7611
Feith Family YMCA, Port Washington 262-268-9622
Mequon/Thiensville Recreation 262-238-7535

Racine County

Aurora Wellness Center
262-554-9997
Racine County Office
262-554-9997

Sheboygan County

Sheboygan County Red Cross Office 920-457-7739

Washington County

Hartford Recreation 262-673-8226
Washington County Red Cross Office 262-334-5687

Waukesha County

Hartland Recreation 262-367-0352
Menomonee Falls Recreation 262-255-8460
Muskego Recreation 262-679-5645
New Berlin Park & Recreation 262-797-2443
Tri County YMCA, Menomonee Falls 262-255-9622
Village of Sussex Community Center 262-246-6447
Waukesha Park & Recreation 262-524-3737

We can set a date and location for training that is convenient for you and maintain your records. Trainings, depending on the number of sessions offered, last about seven hours. Contact us about setting up a training today!

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