Students Complete Safe Sitter® Training at Southern Virginia Regional Medical Center

EMPORIA, VA (August 3, 2011) – Ten young ladies and one gentleman recently completed Safe Sitter® training at Southern Virginia Regional Medical Center. The two day course, held on July 21st and 22nd, culminated with a graduation ceremony during which each participant received a certificate of completion for the Safe Sitter® course, and a certification from the American Heart Association for successful completion of Heartsaver Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CRP). Following the graduation ceremony, the students and their guests were treated to refreshments.

Safe Sitter® is a medically accurate program that teaches boys and girls ages 11 to 13 nurturing child care techniques, behavior management skills and appropriate responses to medical emergencies when caring for children. Specifically, the Safe Sitter learns: what to do when a child chokes, safety for the sitter, how to call for emergency help, babysitting business skills, basic child care skills (diapering, feeding, etc.), and how to entertain children and keep them safe. In addition, Safe Sitter parents are given tips for helping their Safe Sitter to stay safe and make the most out of their babysitting experiences. Since it’s inception in 1980, more than 400,000 young people in the United States and England have graduated from the program.

Southern Virginia Regional Medical Center is proud to be a training site for Safe Sitter®. If you would like to be put on a list for the next Safe Sitter® course or for additional information on the program, contact Cynthia Mason-Kemp, RN, SVRMC Safe Sitter® Site Coordinator at 434-348-4456.

Safe Sitter participants along with their instructors Cynthia Mason-Kemp, Karen Kemp-Bynum and Queen Daniel and teen volunteers, Maura Smith, Larissa Jackson, Christian Rodriguez and Michael Grizzard. (for safety purposes, Safe Sitter® asked that we not publish the names of the class participants)