Class Teaches Youth Skills, Safety for Successful Babysitting
Sixteen-year-old Anna loves her part-time job as a childcare provider at the Coffman YMCA. She’s comfortable around children and she’s skilled at taking care of them. But there was a time that young children made her nervous, until she took the Child and Babysitting Safety (CABS) class offered through the YMCA of Greater Dayton.
“I didn’t know how to take care of children, especially babies,” says Anna. “But the class taught me how to change diapers, feed them, wash my hands the right way and CPR and first aid.”
CABS, a program developed by the American Safety and Health Institute (ASHI), is a full-day course for youth 11-14 years old that focuses on childcare basics, child safety including first aid and CPR, suggestions on how to run a babysitting business, working with parents, and more. After completing the course, participants receive a two-year certification and are encouraged to continue their education by completing a CPR certification class.
Anna, who completed the course twice, used the confidence and knowledge she gained as a volunteer in Coffman’s childcare for several years before being hired as an employee.
“I can always tell who has taken the babysitting class and who hasn’t,” says Coffman’s Childcare Coordinator, Debbie Schock. “Those youth are always much more comfortable around the children and they’re so good with them.”
The Dayton YMCA is currently offering the class through the Coffman branch with plans to expand it to additional branches. In addition, the Y is renewing its partnership with Springboro Schools to once again offer the program on their campus beginning in April 2019.
“The class is really is valuable to all youth, not just those interested in running a babysitting business,” says Angela Maciukiewicz, training coordinator for the YMCA of Greater Dayton. “It provides a foundation for them to know how to care for younger children but more also teaches them safety basics that are important for everyone.”
For more information on the CABS class offered through the Coffman Y, contact Schock at dschock@daytonymca.org.
The SafeSitter program is available at our Preble YMCA. See our page for details on both classes.
Jamie Kaun, mom of four young children, teaches preschool. Her husband, Michael, is an 19-year active duty service member in the Air Force. She and her family attend the Coffman YMCA.
