KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The East Tennessee Children's Hospital is taking a step to make sure more people know how to care for young children safely. They are hosting classes for students between 11 years old and 14 years old where they will learn about babysitting techniques.
The Safe Sitters Classes will also show participants how to respond to emergencies, and teach them how to best use babysitting as a business. The class is partly taught by Tyrone Beach, according to ETCH.
"Kids get into these situations, watching siblings or a neighbor's kid, and you kinda think it's going to be automatic, like 'We're just going to watch TV,'" he said. "Things can happen, emergencies happen."
Part of the training includes practicing CPR techniques. Although students don't receive formal CPR training, they do have a chance to learn how to respond to situations requiring it by practicing on a life-size dummy.
The classes also show students how to set expectations for compensation, as well as how to balance work with their school responsibilities.
"A lot of these kids are in school, so being able to turn down a babysitting job, I think being able to say 'No' to people is a hard part," said Beach. "Knowing what you can do, knowing what is easy for you and what's difficult."
The classes are on Saturdays, and the first class starts on Jan. 21. There is one scheduled for each month during 2023, and anyone interested in signing up for one can register online. They last from 9 a.m. through 3 p.m. and ETCH said they will provide food for lunch.
The classes will be in the Discovery Innovation Simulation Center, inside the hospital's Scripps Network Tower. The registration fee is $26 and ETCH said classes are limited.