​WHAT IS SAFE SITTER®

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What is Safe Sitter®: Fact Sheet PDF
Mission - Safe Sitter® prepares young adolescents for the profound responsibilities of nurturing and protecting children.

History - Safe Sitter® was founded in 1980 by Indianapolis pediatrician, Dr. Patricia A. Keener, after a colleague's 18-month-old choked to death while under an adult sitter's care.  Dr. Keener developed Safe Sitter® as a medically accurate instructional program designed for young adolescents 11 to 13 years of age.  The curriculum is regularly updated. Dr. Keener has been recognized nationally for the educational excellence of the Safe Sitter® program by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Organization Size - Safe Sitter, Inc. has almost 900 teaching sites from coast to coast. Each year almost 35,000 young adolescents take the course. There are over 4,000 Safe Sitter® Instructors.
Beliefs - Safe Sitter, Inc. believes in the intrinsic worth of all children from infancy through adolescence.  We believe in the importance of protecting the health and welfare of children.  We believe in providing nurturing, positive experiences. We believe in the value of providing young adolescents with relevant and medically accurate information. We believe in adhering to the highest ethical standards.

Need - In general, inadequate emphasis is placed on the magnitude of the responsibility a young adolescent accepts when accepting a babysitting job.  Most young adolescents lack the knowledge of first aid, rescue skills, behavior management techniques and life experiences necessary for handling medical, behavioral or household emergencies which might occur.  Successful completion of an educational program addressing these competencies should be a community standard for all those who care for children.