4-H Club’s babysitter’s course helps teens learn childcare
A Montgomery County 4-H will offer a babysitters’ club of sorts for teens and preteens interested in childcare.
The Penn State Cooperative Extension (PSCE) of Montgomery County will hold informational courses on babysitting and childcare for 11- to 14-year-olds Thursday evenings, Aug. 6 to Sept. 3, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
The course will focus on the general care of infants, toddlers and young children, childhood development, changing diapers, feeding, emergencies and choosing toys that are safe for children of all ages.
Linda Hoade, educational outreach coordinator for the Montgomery County PSCE and the 4-H Club, said the 11-to 14- year-old age group was specifically targeted for the course.
“This is the age when they start thinking about babysitting as a part-time job, and also may be coming home after school to an empty house with siblings to look after,” she said. “They have to be prepared to be in charge of a younger child and be ready for anything that may come up in an emergency situation.”
Students will practice changing and feeding life-like dolls and use Penn State University workbooks to study the basics of babysitting.
In addition to bookwork, students will learn how to deal with child behavioral situations and how to prepare a babysitting kit that includes first-aid items and age appropriate toys.
After the course, students who attend all sessions and complete all coursework will receive a certificate, something Hoade said can be a valuable asset, allowing students to show prospective clients they have been trained as a babysitter.
The course will be taught by a health-education teacher and held at the Belmont Hills Library, located at 120 Marywatersford Road in Bala Cynwyd.
Registration and a $20 fee to cover course materials are due prior to the start of classes. The course is one of several held throughout the county this year by the PSCE, which is a nonprofit group. Another course will be held at the cooperative extension’s 4-H center in September.
Class sizes are deliberately small and range in size from 5 to 20 students depending on student interest.
In addition to babysitting courses, the cooperative extension regularly offers 4H enrichment programs such as horticulture, public speaking and equestrian studies to the community.
The 4-H club is open to students in Montgomery County from ages 8 to 18. Interested students do not have to be 4-H club members to attend the babysitting course.
Hoade calls the class a way to spread the word about what the 4-H Club has to offer. “Kids get a lot of science-based knowledge from being a 4-H member. Babysitting is just an extension of the program and a good way to introduce youth not in 4-H to our special programming,” Hoade said.
The organization has individual clubs for activities, such as archery, rifle, horse and livestock care, sewing, beekeeping, gardening, a seeing-eye dog club, fishing and animal science.
The 4-H Club’s mission is to help youth develop into good stewards of their community and world.
In addition to club and educational programs, the cooperative extension offers camps focusing on animal science, creative arts, gardening and equine adventures for youth. Gardening, nutrition, birding and canning courses are also offered to adults at the cooperative extension.
“We listen to what the public is interested in. All educational programs are based on the public’s interest. That is how we gear it,” Hoade said.
For more information, call 610-489-4315.
The Penn State Cooperative Extension (PSCE) of Montgomery County will hold informational courses on babysitting and childcare for 11- to 14-year-olds Thursday evenings, Aug. 6 to Sept. 3, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
The course will focus on the general care of infants, toddlers and young children, childhood development, changing diapers, feeding, emergencies and choosing toys that are safe for children of all ages.
Linda Hoade, educational outreach coordinator for the Montgomery County PSCE and the 4-H Club, said the 11-to 14- year-old age group was specifically targeted for the course.
“This is the age when they start thinking about babysitting as a part-time job, and also may be coming home after school to an empty house with siblings to look after,” she said. “They have to be prepared to be in charge of a younger child and be ready for anything that may come up in an emergency situation.”
Students will practice changing and feeding life-like dolls and use Penn State University workbooks to study the basics of babysitting.
In addition to bookwork, students will learn how to deal with child behavioral situations and how to prepare a babysitting kit that includes first-aid items and age appropriate toys.
After the course, students who attend all sessions and complete all coursework will receive a certificate, something Hoade said can be a valuable asset, allowing students to show prospective clients they have been trained as a babysitter.
The course will be taught by a health-education teacher and held at the Belmont Hills Library, located at 120 Marywatersford Road in Bala Cynwyd.
Registration and a $20 fee to cover course materials are due prior to the start of classes. The course is one of several held throughout the county this year by the PSCE, which is a nonprofit group. Another course will be held at the cooperative extension’s 4-H center in September.
Class sizes are deliberately small and range in size from 5 to 20 students depending on student interest.
In addition to babysitting courses, the cooperative extension regularly offers 4H enrichment programs such as horticulture, public speaking and equestrian studies to the community.
The 4-H club is open to students in Montgomery County from ages 8 to 18. Interested students do not have to be 4-H club members to attend the babysitting course.
Hoade calls the class a way to spread the word about what the 4-H Club has to offer. “Kids get a lot of science-based knowledge from being a 4-H member. Babysitting is just an extension of the program and a good way to introduce youth not in 4-H to our special programming,” Hoade said.
The organization has individual clubs for activities, such as archery, rifle, horse and livestock care, sewing, beekeeping, gardening, a seeing-eye dog club, fishing and animal science.
The 4-H Club’s mission is to help youth develop into good stewards of their community and world.
In addition to club and educational programs, the cooperative extension offers camps focusing on animal science, creative arts, gardening and equine adventures for youth. Gardening, nutrition, birding and canning courses are also offered to adults at the cooperative extension.
“We listen to what the public is interested in. All educational programs are based on the public’s interest. That is how we gear it,” Hoade said.
For more information, call 610-489-4315.
