When is your Child Ready for Independence?

For children entering their pre-teens, staying home alone can represent a big step toward independence.

For parents, determining whether they’re truly ready for that level of responsibility can be challenging.

“It’s a judgment call,” said Fawn Preuss, Manager of CHI St. Joseph Healthy Communities and local coordinator of the Safe Sitter® program. “There are things we can do proactively as parents to help our children become more confident, prepared and independent. One of them is enrolling them in a program like Safe Sitter.”

Safe Sitter courses are designed to give young teens the skills they need to be safe in unsupervised settings – whether they’re babysitting, sibling sitting or staying home alone.

Safe Sitter® at CHI St. Joseph Health

Founded in 1980, Safe Sitter is the only national nonprofit training program of its kind for young teens.

The Safe Sitter® Essentials with CPR class now packs safety skills, child care, first aid and rescue, life and business and an additional hour of CPR instruction into a one-day class.

To meet growing need for this training in the community and improve access, CHI St. Joseph Health has increased the number of Safe Sitter classes it offers and moved them into dedicated classroom space. Safe Sitter is also offering scholarships to help families cover the registration fee.

If You Go

CHI St. Joseph Health will offer Safe Sitter® classes over the summer for local children in grades six through eight. Pre-registration is required, as class sizes are limited, and costs $50.

Upcoming class dates include:

• Friday, June 16
• Monday, June 19
• Friday, June 23
• Wednesday, July 12
• Thursday, July 13
• Thursday, July 20

All Safe Sitter courses will be held 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the CHI St. Joseph Health Medical Office Building, Suite 140 classroom, located at 2700 E. 29^th Street in Bryan. Students should bring a sack lunch and drink that does not require refrigeration.

For more information about Safe Sitter classes at CHI St. Joseph Health, the scholarship or to access the registration form, visit www.chistjoseph.org/services/maternity/safe-sitter-course or contact Healthy Communities at 979-731-1231. To learn more about the Safe Sitter program, visit https://safesitter.org.