Babysitting Class for the Youth

Do you know how to help a baby who is choking, how to make your own bubbles to blow, or how old a child is before she can catch a ball?  Twelve students in the IRC Boise Summer Youth Programs learned these tips and more in a babysitting / childcare class taught by a staff member of St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center.  Through games the students learned the basics of child development and first aid.  Using lifelike “babies”  they practiced baby care such as holding, burping, diapering and more.  They also learned some simple, low-cost things they can make to entertain kids, from homemade bubbles with wands to egg carton funny goggles to homemade books and tin foil balls.  The students also got some hands-on experience with children, spending a morning at the St. Alphonsus Early Childhood Center playing with six-month-olds through pre-schoolers. 
As a result of this fun class, the students are better equipped to care for younger siblings or can earn a little spending money babysitting for other families.