Pine River Library is offering its popular babysitting training class in August.
This two-day course has been offered since 2009, training teens (12 -18 years old) on basic childcare, nutrition, diapering, entertaining kids, and more. Last year a basic understanding of early reading literacy and social/emotional literacy skills was integrated, making this our best training yet.
Marketing and professionalism are also included in this updated class. Alumni PRL babysitters may audit the new training topics if they wish. The healthy snack portion of the training this year is provided through a partnership with Cooking Matters.
The full training also features a full-day basic lifesaving course including CPR/ First Aid training, allowing teens to receive official CPR/ First Aid cards from the American Heart Association. The AHA BLS training portion is provided with help from a partnership with Bayfield High School.
Youth Services Manager, Becky Van Den Berg, says the course has been popular for local teens, adding, "All teens who participate in our classes become a part of the library's babysitter referral list." The referral list helps match local teens with Bayfield-area families looking for childcare.
The class will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 21 and 22 at the Forest Lakes Rec Center. The class is $25 per student, and payment is due at registration. The price has been reduced this year to increase access to the program. Scholarships are available from the Friends of the Pine River Library for teens needing financial assistance.
Applications are due on Monday, Aug. 6. Applicants will be notified on Aug. 15 on whether or not they are accepted into the class. Twelve teens between the ages of 18 and 12 years old will be selected.
In addition to training new babysitters, the library is also offering a limited number of spaces for Babysitter Training alumni wanting to recertify their CPR/ First Aid cards. The cost for recertification is $20.
For more information on the babysitter training course, contact Becky at 884-2222, ext. 516.
Applications are available online at: https://prlibrary.org/./Babysitter%20Training%20Application
