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A group of young ladies at Page School Center sat down on Tuesday afternoon to begin their journey of becoming 4-H Safe Sitter Babysitters.

A collaboration between University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service 4-H Agent Brandy Calvert and Family Resource Youth Service Center Director Norma Saylor, the club offers members a chance to learn the basics of babysitting.

Meeting topics will include the business of babysitting, child development, safety issues, play activities, and members will learn procedure for handling emergencies.

During their first meeting, members did a self-evaluation to determine if they are the right person to be a babysitter. The girls also reviewed 4-H Safe Sitter qualifications and were introduced to the different topics that they will learn about in future club meetings.

4-H Safe Sitter club members agree that babysitting is a very important job. Parents place their most valued possessions in the care of another person when they hire a babysitter. When parents entrust the welfare of their children to a babysitter, the parents want to know that the care that their children receive is the best.

Parents and children want and deserve a first-rate babysitter. A 4-H Safe Sitter has the qualities that make them the right person for the job. The club is open to students in grades five through eight. Completion of the series does not “certify” members to be babysitters, but it does introduce them to the very basics of childcare.

An informal survey of club members revealed that some members have already been in positions of authority with younger siblings or family members and many club members brought a basic understanding of the role of babysitting to the initial meeting of the club.

If you are interested in starting a 4-H Safe Sitter babysitting club in your school, contact Brandy Calvert, Bell County 4-H Agent for Youth Development at 606-337-2376 or via email at brandy.calvert@uky.edu.

Programs of Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people, regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.