Safe Sitter

Safe Sitter^® Classes

Skills Your Child Will Learn

Safety Skills: Students learn how to prevent unsafe situations and what to do when faced with dangers such as power failures or weather emergencies.

Child Care Skills: Students learn tips to manage behavior that will help them stay in control of themselves and the children in their care. Students also learn the ages and stages of child development, as well as practice diapering.

First Aid & Rescue Skills: Learning skills such as choking rescue and CPR is often students’ favorite part of the class. Students also learn a system to help them assess and respond to injuries and illnesses. 

Life & Business Skills: The ability to screen jobs, discuss fees, and greet employers will set students up for success now and in the future. Students practice these skills through various role play.

Safe Sitter^® at Upland Hills Health

Upland Hills Health is proud to be a registered Safe Sitter^® training site. Our program is Safe Sitter^® Essentials with CPR, a one-day course held at Upland Hills Health Hospital in Dodgeville that typically runs 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Upcoming Classes:   

Registered and confirmed students should bring a sack lunch, dress in layers, and bring a hair tie or band to pull back long hair.  Additional details will be provided in a confirmation email.

For questions or additional information, contact Michelle Helin at 608-930-7150 or helinm@uplandhillshealth.org.

Have a group of students to train? Call us to schedule a class!

See below for additional Safe Sitter^® program options available for youth groups or individuals.

Class fee is $50 and includes Safe Sitter student manual and completion card. Scholarships are available based on financial need; call for more information.

Advance registration with completed registration packet and payment is required. Register early as classes fill quickly!  Payment by check may be mailed with registration forms.  Call if you wish to make payment by credit card.

Print and return your completed Safe Sitter Registration Packet with payment to:  

Upland Hills Health | Attn: Michelle Helin, RN | 800 Compassion Way | Dodgeville, WI 53533

For questions or additional information, contact Michelle Helin at 608-930-7150 or helinm@uplandhillshealth.org.

Cancellation Policy:

We reserve the right to cancel a class. A minimum of 6 participants is required to run a class. In the event that a class would need to be cancelled, due to low enrollment, you will be contacted within a minimum of 3 business days.

In the event of inclement weather, we will attempt to contact you by the telephone number given on your registration form. You may also call Upland Hills Health at (608) 930-8000.

Please remember that there is limited space in these classes and a cost to provide this education to you. Often there is a waiting list of interested participants. If you are unable to attend a class you have registered for, please notify us within 72 hours of the scheduled class to make the space available for another participant. Registration fees may be transferred as credit for other upcoming educational offerings, or a 50% refund issued. There will be a $20 processing fee for transfers & cancellations. There will not be any refund for no shows.

Additional Safe Sitter^® Programs

• Intro to Safe Babysitting – Intro to Safe Babysitting by Safe Sitter® is a 60-minute program designed for groups of students in grades 6-8 who are interested in learning how to safely care for children. Intro to Safe Babysitting is designed to enable a troop leader or parent volunteer to facilitate an introductory level program about safe babysitting techniques. Parents can also order single copies of this program and lead their children through the booklet. You do not need to be a Safe Sitter® Instructor to teach Intro to Safe Babysitting.
• Safe@Home – Safe@Home by Safe Sitter® is a 90-minute program designed for students in grades 4-6 to prepare them to be safe when they are home alone.  Safe@Home is designed to enable any adult that enjoys teaching preteens to facilitate an introductory level program to prepare students to care for themselves when parents are away for short periods of time. You do not need to be a Safe Sitter® Instructor to teach Safe@Home. 

About Safe Sitter^®

Safe Sitter, Inc. is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to providing individuals with the life and safety skills they need for when they are home alone, watching younger siblings, or babysitting.

Safe Sitter® began because of a tragedy. In 1980, Patricia A. Keener, M.D. was pregnant with her third child and worked as the Director of Nurseries at Community Hospital in Indianapolis, IN. One spring morning as Dr. Keener was talking with a nurse who was a new mother, she received an emergency page; the ambulance was bringing in a child that had choked while eating breakfast that morning. She immediately rushed to the emergency room to help this child, but it was too late. The child had died.

Dr. Keener soon realized that little girl was the daughter of the nurse she had just spoken to. The child had been with an adult babysitter that morning, and the babysitter didn’t know how to handle a choking incident. Dr. Keener recognized the vulnerability of young children when cared for by unprepared providers and was surprised to learn how many people who care for young children were not equipped to prevent injuries and handle emergencies.

That afternoon, the Safe Sitter® course was born. The first Safe Sitter® class was held for about a dozen sixth-grade students at Park Tudor School where her children attended. After the first class, the need for a babysitting safety class for young teens became clearly evident. Just a few months after the very first class, Dr. Keener offered the class at Community Hospital East where fifty children attended.

Safe Sitter® babysitting classes have been preparing young teens to care for younger children for over 40 years.  The programs follow guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association.