Resuming Classes after a Pandemic Pause

Has your Safe Sitter® program been on hold for a significant period of time? Are you ready to resume in-person classes, but not sure where to start?

While it can feel overwhelming to begin teaching classes after such a long time away from the classroom, there are some simple steps that will help you feel prepared.

• Take the Instructor Refresher course. This course is available to all Instructors on the Safe Sitter® learning management system at safesitter.litmos.com. Simply login with your username and password. Your username is the email you’ve shared with Safe Sitter, Inc. headquarters. If you’ve forgotten your password, you can reset it.
• Log on to Instructor Resources on the Safe Sitter® website (note: you may have a different username and password). Download the forms, handouts, and digital presentations that you’ll be using during class. In addition, download our planning tools – including the Site Coordinator Checklist and the Teaching Checklist – to help make sure everything is ready to go for class.
• Locate the course materials and make sure you have a complete set of game pieces. You can find the Game Pack Supplies List in the Instructor Tools tab of Instructor Resources. If you need to order a new game pack, graphics pack, and/or CPR video, order online or call Safe Sitter, Inc. headquarters at 317.596.5001. Make sure you also have an Important Information notepad for the class to use.
• Order Student Handbooks and other materials at least two weeks in advance. Remember that each student must have a Student Handbook to use during class and take home afterward, and it’s always a good idea to order a few extra materials for any last-minute registrations.
• Once the class has been scheduled, make sure that parents and students know what is expected of them, including arrival time, mask rules, and whether to bring a lunch or snack.
• Pull out the Instructor Manual and re-familiarize yourself with the time, supplies, activities, and learning objectives for each module. Decide in advance whether you will include activities that may have been suspended or altered during the pandemic, such as the handshake practice or the coughing demonstration during choking rescue.
• Schedule some time to practice teaching in the week before the day of class, and do a technology test run to ensure the digital presentation and Babysitter Boss videos load correctly. Don’t try to “wing it;” your students will be able to tell.
• Read through the Instructor Manual the night before and visualize yourself teaching. Practice pausing after asking a question. Time yourself; 10 seconds can feel like an eternity in front of a silent classroom, but students need time to process the question. Don’t jump in and answer the questions for them.
• On the day of class, arrive at least 30 minutes early to class. Remember that some parents may arrive with students 15 minutes before the start of class, and you’ll want to give yourself plenty of time to set up the room before they arrive.
• Be warm and friendly to the students as they arrive. Remember that they may be nervous about coming that day. Set a good example by saying hello and calling them by their first name. Use nametags for both you and your students. If the students will be practicing shaking hands later on in class, then model that behavior by shaking your students’ hands when you introduce yourself.

Finally, have fun! If you’re enjoying the class, your students will too.