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Frequently Asked Questions

Common Questions Potential Providers Ask 

Are there other Providers in my area?

Programs by Safe Sitter® are offered by a network of nearly 3000 Instructors in the United States and Canada. Find a Provider near you.

What are the benefits of Safe Sitter®? 

Benefits for Students

  • Students are equipped: they learn rescue skills, basic first aid, nurturing and safe child care, and personal safety.
  • Students gain confidence because the class environment is supportive and student-centered.
  • Students learn important life skills such as leadership and decision-making.
  • Students have fun!

Benefits for Providers

  • You will increase the number of young teens providing safe child care.
  • You will increase the personal safety of all sitters and those in their care.
  • You can take advantage of Safe Sitter’s name recognition and national media attention.
  • Programs by Safe Sitter® can serve as a marketing tool for young teens and their parents.

Benefits for Instructors

  • It’s fun to teach – Safe Sitter® programs are interactive with games and role-plays. The ratio of 6-8 participants to one Instructor allows you to get to know the individuals in your class.
  • It’s easy to teach – Safe Sitter® programs are structured with comprehensive and easy-to-understand Instructor Manuals and Facilitator Guides.
  • Sara Ross, M.D., serves as the Medical Director and assures that the courses are medically accurate.

Who is eligible to register as a Safe Sitter® Provider?

A wide variety of community-minded individuals and organizations can offer Safe Sitter®. Safe Sitter® is often taught at hospitals; youth-serving organizations such as Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and YMCAs; schools; service clubs; churches and other faith-based organizations; fire departments; health departments; camps; park and recreation departments; libraries; and more.

Individuals with access to CPR manikins that are currently certified in CPR many register for Safe Sitter® Instructor training and do not have to be associated with an approved organization.

Nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and legal entities such as a C-Corporation, S-Corporation, LLC, LLP, or Partnership with proof of general liability insurance qualify to train multiple Instructors.

How much does it cost to teach a class?

Safe Sitter® Providers establish and collect their own student fees, and set their fees considering supplies, orders, Instructor costs, and income level of the community served.

How much should we charge participants to take a class?

Programs by Safe Sitter® area valuable, high-quality experience.

The national average for a single-day, 6-hour course is about $65. Some organizations are grant-funded and able to offer courses for free to the community while other organizations charge closer to $100/participant. Introductory programs are 60-90 minutes in duration and tend to be priced closer to $30/participant. We encourage you to charge fees that are reasonable for the families in your community.

Are there ways to control costs?

Collaborate with another organization in your community to control costs and expand your outreach. For example, a hospital could teach at a nearby school. The school would handle recruitment and registration. The hospital would do the teaching and, as the Safe Sitter® Provider, remain responsible for assuring that all Safe Sitter® policies are followed.

If you’re a nonprofit hospital, check with your administration about including the costs of offering Safe Sitter® programs in your hospital’s required Community Benefit Plan.

Can anyone be a Safe Sitter® Instructor?

To train as a Safe Sitter® Instructor, you must have required course materials, be certified in CPR, and have access to CPR manikins. Learn more about Instructor qualifications and training.

How are Safe Sitter® Instructors trained?

Instructor training is online and can be completed in about four hours. The training is self-paced and includes a review of key concepts, teaching tips for each section, and videos of an Instructor teaching students. Instructors are required to teach at least one course per year in order to keep an active status.

Organizations training five or more Instructors qualify for a live workshop conducted in-person by a Safe Sitter® Program Support Specialist. Learn about Instructor training options.

Is there a limit to how many students can be in a class?

The student to Instructor ratio for comprehensive Safe Sitter® programs is no more than eight students for each adult Instructor (8:1). This ratio allows each participant adequate time to practice skills on manikins within the schedule class time. Instructors teaching in schools or other organizations that offer the course modularly in a multi-day format, may request a written waiver to increase the number of students per Instructor.

Is there an annual fee for Instructors?

There is no annual fee for Safe Sitter® Instructors. To keep their active status, Instructors must teach at least one course per year.

Are there any ongoing fees?

Safe Sitter® programs are updated every five years to ensure participants are learning the most accurate and relevant information. There may be a fee to order updated Instructor or course materials. The main ongoing cost to budget for is participant materials. As a Safe Sitter® Provider, you will set and collect participant fees and can recoup these costs with registration fees.