Cooley Dickinson Offers Babysitting Course for Teens

NORTHAMPTON — Cooley Dickinson Hospital offers a one-session class for young people age 12 and up to learn babysitting basics. The next “Supersitters” course will be held Saturday, July 23 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The course will cover strategies for infants — including handling, feeding, and diapering — as well as fire safety, first aid, when and whom to call for help, and CPR. The goal of the course is for babysitters to feel comfortable and knowledgeable about taking care of a child safely.

“This is a course we’ve fine-tuned over the years,” according to American Heart Assoc. certified instructor John Shaw, who also oversees instructor training at Cooley Dickinson Hospital. “It teaches kids how to handle a child, what you can and can’t do with a child, and how to respond in an emergency.”

The cost of the course is $40, and participants should bring a brown-bag lunch. All participants will receive a completion certificate. To register, call (888) 554-4234.