ASHLAND, Ky. — Safe Sitter, a class to teach adolescents ages 11 to 14 how to establish a baby sitting business and to safely care for young children, is being offered Saturday, April 24, by King’s Daughters Medical Center. Class begins at 9 a.m. and continues until 4 p.m. in the KDMC Health Education Center (lower level of the Lexington Avenue parking garage).

Reservations are required and there is a $20 fee that covers lunch and class materials; however, no one is turned away if they are unable to pay. Class size is limited to 20. To make a reservation, please call 1-888-377-KDMC (5362).

The class is taught by certified Safe Sitter® instructors and covers a wide range of topics, including: establishing and maintaining a successful babysitting business; recognizing potential hazards and preventing accidents and injuries; responding to an infant or child who is choking; what to do in an emergency; dealing with problem behavior; and age-appropriate games and activities for infants, toddlers and school age children. The interactive class includes lectures, demonstrations, hands-on activities and group projects. Students take a final exam to earn certification as a Safe Sitter.

Safe Sitter was founded in 1980 by an Indianapolis pediatrician after a colleague’s 18-month-old child choked to death while under an adult sitter’s care.

The Safe Sitter curriculum was developed by the pediatrician and her co-workers, and now has been taught to more than 500,000 young people in all 50 states and England. More information about Safe Sitter can be found at safesitter.org.