Instructor Testimonial
"I enjoy the interaction with the students - especially seeing the excitement and confidence they have when they leave at the end of class!"
Deb Creque
Flower Hospital
Toledo, OH |
Instructor Workshops
August 14
September 18
Remember - if you train 4 new Instructors at the same workshop, the 5th Instructor is FREE! |
New Site Coordinator Webinar
Are you a new Safe SitterŪ Site Coordinator and have questions about how to organize your program? We want to help! Sign up to participate in a FREE 15-minute Webinar on August 12th, where the "nuts and bolts" of Safe SitterŪ are presented. The Site Coordinator Webinar is presented the 2nd Wednesday every other month (even months of the year) at 12 noon eastern time.
Topics include ordering supplies, accessing scholarships for your students, what to send National Headquarters after your classes, how long to keep your Registration Forms, etc. You can ask questions at the end or get detailed information about the material presented. We're not charging a fee for this, however, registration is required and limited. To register, or if you have questions, email support@safesitter.org or call (800) 255-4089 ext. 13. | |
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"Thank Goodness for Little Sisters"
 This is what a very grateful Amberlye, 13, said after her younger sister, Brigid, 11, saved her life.
The two girls took Safe SitterŪ together at their local hospital in Missouri, where their mother is a nurse.
Just four days later, both girls got a scary glimpse of how a situation may have turned out differently had it not been for their Safe SitterŪ training.
The girls were home with their mother, who was in the living room. Amber was in the kitchen enjoying an apple while waiting for a call from a friend.
Amber, startled by the ringing phone, began to choke on a large piece of the fruit. It was lodged in her throat preventing her from talking or breathing.
"I started to panic," Amber said. Brigid, who had been walking by, noticed her sister putting her hands to her throat to show the choking sign. She also saw that Amber's lips were blue. It was at that moment that Brigid knew she needed to perform abdominal thrusts.
"The apple popped out on the first thrust. I just knew I needed to save my sister's life," said Brigid. "I knew to stay calm and not to panic. Safe SitterŪ taught me what to do."
After the scary event, Brigid told her mother who, understandably, was very proud.
"I'm so glad Brigid came into the kitchen at that time!" Amber said. "As the older sister, I take care of my younger sister. But, that day, she came to my rescue. She saved my life. The skills we learned in Safe SitterŪ saved me!" |
Best Practices - These Instructors Make Their Program Blossom
Deb Creque and Joan Koester of Flower Hospital in Toledo, Ohio not only deserve "flowers," they deserve an entire field. They've nurtured their program over the years and watched it grow. Deb and Joan, the only two Instructors, have been teaching since Flower Hospital became a site - almost 20 years ago!
They don't limit classes to just the hospital. Many classes are also taught at local schools and churches. Blanketing the community with classes has played a big role in the program's longevity. Deb, the Site Coordinator, says it's all about word-of-mouth advertising, which has proven to work best.
"It's a great program that parents spread throughout the community that keeps bringing more kids back to the program," she says. "It's benefiting the community as parents can go out and feel safe that their children are in good hands with a Safe SitterŪ graduate. The children they are sitting for are safer because our students have been trained to prevent injuries."
In fact, Deb relates a story from a teacher at a church where Flower Hospital had a course. The teacher, who had a child who'd completed the Safe SitterŪ class, said there was an incident at home where her youngest child cut himself seriously. His sister, the Safe SitterŪ graduate, knew exactly what to do and handled the situation.
"The mother said, if she had not taken the class, she feels her daughter would have just panicked and not known what to do," Deb said.
Deb feels the comprehensive quality of the Safe SitterŪ curriculum is why it's such a long-lasting program at the hospital. "It's more in-depth, containing techniques that help children become safer. The training is more clinical and hospital-based with its use of CPR manikins. The Safe SitterŪ Manual is laid out to be informative. We do the one-day program which is much more convenient for the parents. And we provide the Safe SitterŪ bag for each student to take all the information to their jobs."
Many of Flower Hospital's students are following in the footsteps of their brothers and sisters. "They ask if we remember their older siblings as they want to be like them and take the responsibility to be a Safe SitterŪ themselves. We get a lot of students from large families through the years who love the program and want to have all of their children become Safe Sitters."
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Kudos
- Verde Valley Fire Chiefs in Cottonwood, AZ, Rapides Regional Medical Center in Alexandria, LA, Lutheran Hospital of Indiana in Fort Wayne, IN, Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC, Cullman Regional Medical Center in Cullman, AL, Moberly Regional Medical Center in Moberly, MO, and Clarian Arnett Health in Lafayette, IN, for recent articles in their local newspapers about their Safe SitterŪ program.
- Trinity Hospital in Minot, ND (featuring their Site Coordinator Kathleen White), Palmetto Health Baptist Columbia in Columbia, SC, and Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital in Yakima, WA, for having their Safe SitterŪ program featured on their local television news.
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