Red Cross Now Offers Advanced Child Care Training for Older Sitters and Nannies Looking to Gain an Edge This Summer

Starting April 24, the American Red Cross will offer Advanced Child Care Trainingfor people aged 16 years and older who might be looking to become nannies, sought-after babysitters or who might be caring for kids for the first time.

Completing this course has benefits for sitters, parents and children. Parents value a well-trained sitter, as more than 80 percent of parents say they would pay more for sitter that is trained in CPR, first aid and child care skills, according to a 2012 Red Cross survey. The new Red Cross Advanced Child Care Training course helps people become the best sitter they can be.

This course enables people to learn while having fun by blending tried-and-true information with digital learning techniques. Participants will learn the most common child care routines and behavior along with safety inside and outside of the house.  The course also includes Pediatric First Aid, CPR and AED training and certification.

Check out the video here to see how it works.

The course is eight and a half hours and costs $129. It combines two hours of self-paced online learning and six and a half
hours of in-person training and skills testing. Upon completion, course takers will receive a two-year certification in both Advanced Child Care Training and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED.

Course takers also get many helpful resources, such as activity ideas for various ages, downloadable sheets on things like spoon-feeding infants, lesson summaries and templates for résumés and business cards.

The course is available online 24/7, so visit redcross.org/childcare to sign up and find classes in your area.