Red Cross Babysitting Training
Safety, first aid and caregiving skills for youth 11–15 years old. Participants learn how to provide care to younger children in a variety of age groups, and how to prevent and respond to emergencies. The course also offers youth the training to promote themselves as a babysitter to prospective parents.
Virtual Babysitting is for 11-15 year olds
Home Alone Online is for 9-13 year olds
Babysitter Fact Sheet
download Red Cross Babysitter Fact sheet
The Red Cross Babysitting course offers basic first aid and caregiving skills for youth 11-15 years old. Participants learn how to provide care to children in a variety of age groups, and how to prevent and respond to emergencies. The course also teaches youth the skills to promote themselves safely as babysitters to prospective families.
Duration
7 hours in-class
Instructor
Canadian Red Cross Youth Leader
Prerequisite
Minimum 11 years of age (or completion of Grade 5). Age range is 11-15 years.
Course Content
- How to be responsible and demonstrate leadership
- How to make good decisions and manage difficult behaviours
- Information on children’s developmental stages and specific strategies for each stage
- How to feed, diaper, dress and play with children and babies
- How to recognize and prevent unsafe situations,make safe choices and promote safe behaviours
- First aid skills
- The business of babysitting
Participant Materials
- Babysitter’s Manual (from the Canadian Red Cross)
- Completion certificate
Schedule and Registration
We've switched from in-person to virtual Babysitting classes hosted on Zoom. Certified Canadian Red Cross Youth Leaders provide a fun, interactive training environment where participants learn alongside their peers in a virtual classroom.
Registration:
Virtual Babysitting classes for 11-15 year olds Register here
We also offer:
Frequently asked questions about Babysitting training
For general questions about certifications, payments, etc. See our comprehensive FAQ page.
Participants must be 11 years of age or older (or must have completed Grade 5). The course is designed for children aged 11-15 years.
Red Cross guidelines require that children are 11 years or older or that they have completed Grade 5. If your child is not yet 11 or has not yet completed Grade 5, please check our course schedule for future course dates.
There is no age specified by law for babysitting. It is a matter of the parent determining if a child is responsible enough to provide a safe environment for the younger children in their care. Canadian social services organizations advise that children under 12 years should not be left at home alone.
Your child will gain useful skills and knowledge on the Babysitting course. After the class they will be more prepared and confident to babysit. The Babysitting course is a participation class. There is no testing of skills and therefore no “qualification” Whether or not the child is ready to take on the responsibility of babysitting is left to the discretion of the child’s parent or guardian.
The instructor to participant ratio is 1:30 (one instructor per 30 participants).
During the COVID-19 pandemic we have limited our class sizes to a maximum of 14 students in order to maintain physical distancing during class.
Certified Red Cross Youth Leader
No. This course is designed for 11-15 year olds. If you are a child care worker or adult babysitter we recommend you take the Red Cross Emergency Child Care First Aid & CPR course.
In British Columbia, there is no legislated minimum age for leaving a child alone for a short period. However, according to a B.C. Supreme Court decision, children under the age of 10 should not be left unsupervised at home.
This is a complicated issue and the guidelines are unclear. Please refer to this article from the Canadian Child Welfare Research Portal: Legal Age for Leaving Children
Unsupervised Across Canada
On a Red Cross Babysitting course children learn:
- How to look after babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children.
- Care for himself/herself and siblings when home alone.
- Create a safe environment, and deal with phone calls and unexpected visitors.
- React confidently in case of an emergency, such as choking, bleeding, poisoning or burns.
- Cope with common problems, such as tantrums and crying.
- Play games and organize activities to keep kids of all ages entertained.
- Manage a babysitting business. This includes creating a resume and a business card and asking the right questions before accepting a babysitting job.
First Aid Content includes:
- Check, Call, Care (includes phoning EMS/911)
- Glove removal
- Recovery position
- Conscious choking (adult/child/baby/alone)
- CPR (baby/child)
- Illness
- Asthma (includes use of inhaler and spacer)
- Anaphylaxis (includes use of EpiPen)
- Poisoning
- Insect stings
- Wound care (i.e. minor cuts and scrapes, splinters, nosebleeds, bumps and bruises
- Life-threatening bleeding, burns)
- Head, neck and back injuries
- Broken bones
- Seizures
Children need to bring their lunch, a morning and afternoon snack and a bottle of drinking water. The classroom is air-conditioned so we suggest they bring an an extra layer of clothing.
When you register your child for the class, you will receive an email confirmation with course details including what to bring to the class.