If you are at least 12 years old and want to babysit to earn money, you can take a class in Rockingham to earn a certificate. You can also learn about how to make your babysitting experience into a business so parents know you are safe and dependable.
The Richmond County Cooperative Extension will host 4-H Babysitting Certification Training at the beginning of March, which will cost $25. Part of the cost has been negated by United Way funds, according to 4-H Agent Laura Grier. This course, presented by a certified Red Cross instructor, will prepare participants to become a babysitter that will be equipped with a list of references, business cards and will be taken seriously by parents.
Broken down over the course of two days, the class will teach participants pediatric First Aid, CPR, good decision making under pressure, feeding, diaper changing and care for infants as well as effective communication with parents.
The class will be held March 8 from 6 to 9 p.m. and March 9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Snacks and lunch will be provided. Registration and payment deadline is March 1. Youth may also contact Grier about possible scholarships.
Hattie Reep will teach the class, and she has been a volunteer instructor with Red Cross since 2008. She is also certified through Girl Scouts and leads Richmond County’s only Girl Scout troop. This will be Reep’s first class through 4-H.
“There will be video and hands-on instruction,” said Reep. “It will be about how to feed, change diapers, do rescue breathing, CPR and First Aid. We’ll also talk about how to put together a bag of toys based on age that (the babysitters) can take with them. We’ll also talk about how to make resumes and business cards, so they can show certification, schooling, and references.”
Much of the class will be discussion based, and participants will have a chance to learn from each others’ experiences, said Reep.
Reep works in a day care, and has extensive experience dealing with children of all ages.
According to Grier, there hasn’t been a babysitting certification class held in Richmond County for several years.
“I know it’s been some time since Red Cross offered the class in Richmond County,” said Grier. “This one will give them a manual to start their business, so it’s entrepreneurial.”
Grier said she was prompted to organize this class when a mother of two teenage girls approached her. Both of her daughters wanted to be babysitters with qualifications.
Reep and Grier hope to be able to compile a list of certified babysitters once the class is over, that way they can assist parents in finding a certified babysitter.
To sign up for the class, call 4-H Agent Grier at 910-997-8255 or email her at laura_grier@ncsu.edu.
— Staff Writer Dawn M. Kurry can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 15, or by email at dkurry@civitasmedia.com.
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