CPR certification is official proof that a person successfully completed a training course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation – a life-saving technique used when someone’s heart stops beating, or they stop breathing. In the course, adult students learn to recognize cardiac arrest and breathing emergencies, then practice and demonstrate chest compressions and rescue breaths on medical manikins.

CPR certification is required in fields such as healthcare, education, fitness, construction, and other high-risk work environments. Each of these industries have governing bodies that require certification to be maintained to remain in compliance with company policies and for legal protection. In fact, some industries even dictate that CPR certifications must be issued from specific certifying agencies. In healthcare, accrediting bodies often explicitly require American Heart Association certification for clinical staff.

Many parents may not realize that sudden cardiac arrest in children is rare. Healthy children typically have healthy hearts, and it is unlikely that your child will need to perform CPR when babysitting. But choking is a very real risk. In fact, choking is one of the leading causes of unintentional death in children under the age of 5.

While many students learn CPR and practice those skills on medical manikins in Safe Sitter® classes, all students learn to rescue an infant or child that is choking. They practice these skills in role-play scenarios that they can relate to so they can act confidently in an emergency.

Students also learn a triage system for first aid. They learn to call 9-1-1 if an injury or illness is a threat to life. If an injury or illness is serious, but not urgent, they learn to call a back-up adult. For injuries or illnesses that are not serious or urgent, they learn to use a First Aid Chart that follows guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Most importantly, students learn to prevent choking incidents and other injuries before they happen. Your child should never accept a babysitting job without knowing how to perform choking rescue and respond to a first aid emergency.

Students that complete Safe Sitter® classes receive a Safe Sitter® Completion Certificate as proof that they successfully completed babysitting training. As a parent, you can be confident that your child’s skills may be just as strong – or even stronger – than adults who hold certification for work.