Baby sitters certified by Boys & Girls Clubs

BABY SITTERS GET CERTIFIED- In mid-July, 14 kids, ages 11 to 15, learned about the serious business of effective child care at the Boys & Girls Club at Colina Middle School in Thousand Oaks. Among the class were, from left, Evan DeLong, Mercedes Brown, Maggie Kosich, Samantha Fischer and Nia Farrell. The training was provided by Boys & Girls Clubs of Conejo & Las Virgenes. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Conejo & Las Virgenes trained 14 youths ages 11 to 15 in child care in the baby sitter's training workshop held at Colina Middle School in Thousand Oaks.

The class was taught by an American Red Cross instructor.

The youths learned about baby-sitting, from job hunting to first aid, infant/child rescue breathing and choking management. Participants were taught basic handson skills, such as diapering and feeding, and engaged in roleplaying exercises to facilitate better decision making around safety and discipline issues.

They also learn the essentials for a baby sitter's bag, including a big flashlight to flag down emergency vehicles arriving at the house and a penlight to avoid waking a sleeping baby.

Maggie Kosich, a sixth-grader at Sequoia Middle School, learned the proper way to carry an infant. "I used to hold babies like I hold my two dachshunds," she said.

Samantha Fischer, a sixthgrader at Redwood Middle School, wants to attend UCLA Medical School. A career in medicine was her main reason for registering.

Course instructor Carolyn Wooley said that boys can make great baby sitters, especially for families with only one son. She also foresees a growing number of boys enrolling in the workshop.

"Families don't usually call on boys to be caregivers. As we see more fathers being caregivers, we'll see more boys in this class, because young fathers will encourage their sons to do this sort of thing," Wooley said.

Over the years, most young participants have told Wooley that they view baby-sitting primarily as a job opportunity. She said this is not surprising since "it is the most available job for young people below the age of 16."

Students in the course are provided with a family interview form, and resume and business card templates, reinforcing the course's aim of casting babysitting in a more professional light.

Programs Director Karen Anthony has made enrollment in the workshop available to all youths within the required age range.

"We want to branch out, to start making BGC/CLV programs available to nonmembers within the community," said Anthony. "We also want to give kids the opportunity to exhibit leadership skills, get training and make money, all at the same time."

For more information about the program, call (818) 706-0905 or visit www.bgcconejo.org.