WHAT IS SAFE SITTER®

Mission - Safe Sitter® prepares young adolescents for the profound responsibilities of nurturing and protecting children. 

History - Safe Sitter® was founded in 1980 by Indianapolis pediatrician, Dr. Patricia A. Keener, after a colleague's 18-month-old choked to death while under an adult sitter's care.  Dr. Keener developed Safe Sitter® as a medically accurate instructional program designed for young adolescents 11 to 13 years of age.  The curriculum is regularly updated. Dr. Keener has been recognized nationally for the educational excellence of the Safe Sitter® program by the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

Organization Size - Safe Sitter, Inc. has almost 900 teaching sites from coast to coast. Each year almost 35,000 young adolescents take the course. There are over 4,000 Safe Sitter® Instructors. 

Beliefs - Safe Sitter, Inc. believes in the intrinsic worth of all children from infancy through adolescence.  We believe in the importance of protecting the health and welfare of children.  We believe in providing nurturing, positive experiences. We believe in the value of providing young adolescents with relevant and medically accurate information. We believe in adhering to the highest ethical standards. 

Need - In general, inadequate emphasis is placed on the magnitude of the responsibility a young adolescent accepts when accepting a babysitting job.  Most young adolescents lack the knowledge of first aid, rescue skills, behavior management techniques and life experiences necessary for handling medical, behavioral or household emergencies which might occur.  Successful completion of an educational program addressing these competencies should be a community standard for all those who care for children.

Course Content - The curriculum is presented in sections which may be combined and taught as one of three course options: 

• Safe Sitter® (1-day) is a 6 ½-hour essential curriculum designed for busy schedules. 
• Safe Sitter® (1-day with CPR) is a 6 ½-hour curriculum designed to include teaching CPR in a one day course.
• Safe Sitter® is a 12 hour curriculum designed for comprehensive coverage that also includes CPR. 

All courses include how to care for a choking infant or child, basic first aid, personal safety for the babysitter, injury prevention, how to care for children (feeding, diapering, etc.), preventing problem behavior, behavior management, ethics and babysitting as a business.

Type of Instruction - Teaching methodology includes hands-on manikin practice in rescue skills, small group interactive learning, role-playing, games, and (in the 12 hour course) interaction with a toddler or preschool guest. 

Mastery of Content - Each participant must pass a written exam proving mastery of key concepts.  Students in all the courses must also demonstrate acceptable skills in care of the choking infant/child. Students in either of the courses that includes CPR, must demonstrate acceptable skills in infant/child CPR. Students in the 12 hour course must also demonstrate also demonstrate the ability to apply injury and behavior management techniques. 

Instructors - All sites registered to teach Safe Sitter® utilize only Safe Sitter® trained Instructors for student instruction thus ensuring high quality and compliance with teaching methodologies. 

Scholarships - Safe Sitter, Inc. is committed to a policy of availability, affordability and accessibility.  In order to include children from low-income families, scholarships are available from the National Headquarters.  

Organization Status - Safe Sitter, Inc. is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization. Organizational operating funds are obtained from sales of instructional material, charitable donations, foundation grant support, and sponsorships. 

Vision - Better sitters today. Better parents tomorrow.®