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It's hard for some parents to grasp-but in no time
at all, kids go from needing a babysitter to being a babysitter.
It's a big responsibility. How do parents know if their child is
ready to take on that responsibility? Supersitter can help.
Supersitter is a workshop that teaches kids the basics
to being a serious sitter. It looks at how to be "in charge"
without being bossy, handling problems and emergencies and about
the business of babysitting.
 "We've
offered this class for about 15 years," says Jeanette Metzler,
director of Well*Life. "It looks different than it did years
ago-it's a lot more sophisticated than it used to be."
Lindsey Burch knows how the class has changed. She's
changed, too. Lindsey took the class as a twelve year old, and now
teaches the class. She has a degree in elementary education and
is student teaching sixth graders.
"Babysitting is a doorway into other jobs. We
look at more of the business aspect of babysitting," says Lindsey.
"We pay a lot more attention to child development now. We go
over what babysitters can expect from children at different ages."
 Safety
is a big issue, not just for the kids being watched, but for sitters
as well. Participants learn some basic first aid and even put together
a first aid kit to bring "on the job". The class teaches
safe ways to get babysitting jobs and offers tips on dealing with
parents.
"We cover a lot of information in a few hours,"
says Lindsey. But it's not just sitting down and taking notes. "We
get the kids really involved. They put together a babysitting bag
they can take with them. We look at crafts they can do with kids
and they make play-dough. The kids make their own lunch and get
recipes for easy-to-make snacks. We do a lot of role-playing so
they can practice some of the things they've learned."
Other tools included for taking home are notepads to
make a babysitter's job easier. A Home Survey sheet includes names
of children, their favorite activities and any special needs. There
is a notepad for sitters to write down instructions from the parents
and another for the sitters to let parents know what happened while
they were away.
"This class just makes them better prepared, they'll
know what to expect," says Lindsey. "It will be more fun
both for the babysitter and the kids. Parents get a little peace
of mind, too knowing the sitter has had the class."
For more information, or to register for the class, call Well*Life
at 816-943-2167.
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