FRIENDS OF NORWELL VNA TO OFFER
BABYSITTING & PARENT HELPERS TRAINING PROGRAM ON OCTOBER 20th

Pre-Teens to Learn Fundamentals of Child Care Through Upcoming Program

September 6, 2007 (NORWELL, MA) - The Friends of the Norwell Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) and the Norwell Recreation Department are pleased to announce the Babysitting and Parent Helpers Training Program will take place on Saturday, October 20, 2007. The programs are open to all area students in grades five through eight and will be held at the Norwell Middle School, located at 328 Main Street in Norwell. The Parent Helper Course (open to fifth graders) will meet from 9:00-10:30 a.m. and the Babysitting Course (open to students in grades six through eight) will meet from 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. A $15 donation will be collected at the door.

The course will teach parent helpers the beginning basics of entertaining children while an adult is in the home. Parent helpers provide the backup necessary to allow Mom and Dad to tend to other tasks, such as cooking or working from home. They learn how to assist with childcare before taking on the full responsibilities of independent babysitting. Creative, techniques such as singing will also be taught. 

Babysitters will be trained in the essentials of childcare and how to react in situations in which they are working alone. Students in grades six through eight will receive instruction from Norwell VNA nurses, the Norwell Fire Department and other qualified instructors on first aid, infant and child care, fire safety and how to access emergency services. The course focuses on training the students in safety for themselves and the children they are responsible for, as well as preparedness for emergency situations. The course will also provide training in “babysitting business basics,” such as how to market oneself and set a fee for their services.. Students will receive a Babysitting Manual, filled with detailed information on each of the subject areas covered during the course, as well as a First Aid Kit to have as a resource when they are on the job.Certificates will be awarded to all students upon the successful completion of a competency test.

Qualifying babysitters’ names will be submitted to job banks through the Norwell and Scituate Recreation Departments. The overall goal of the program is to teach students what babysitting is all about and to instill a sense of confidence in young adults who are just starting their babysitting careers.

“The Friends of the Norwell VNA have been offering this program for over 30 years,” said Meg Doherty, Executive Director of the Norwell VNA. “Babysitting instills a sense of confidence, responsibility, and self-sufficiency. We are proud to offer a program where students can learn how to remain safe and prepared, as well as to be successful from an early age.”

Interested participants should register before Thursday, October 18, 2007 by calling the Norwell Recreation Department at 781-659-8046. Walk-ins are also welcome.

The Norwell Visiting Nurse Association, located in Norwell, provides nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, nutritional counseling, home health aides/homemakers and a variety of support services and programs to patients of all ages and for all needs.  The Norwell VNA has been serving the community since 1920 providing services to residents in Norwell, Scituate, Abington, Braintree, Cohasset, Duxbury, Hanover, Hanson, Hingham, Hull, Kingston, Marshfield, Pembroke, Quincy, Rockland and Weymouth.  For more information about the Norwell VNA and its services, please visit the web site at www.nvna.org or call 781-659-2342.