Babysitting can be an excellent way for young people to earn money – especially for those who are responsible and enjoy children.
“(The hourly rate) is almost minimum wage right now,” says Vivian Leland, director of the information and referral services for the St. Albert Community Information and Volunteer Centre. “A lot of them aren’t working for less than $8-$10 an hour.”
The Alberta Safety Council Babysitter Safety course can help prepare potential sitters to care for children.
The St. Albert Community Information and Volunteer Centre (CIVC) offers the Alberta Safety Council’s babysitter safety training five times per year, and the next course takes place Dec. 6 and 7. The cost is $55, and participants must be at least 11 to register.
Over the two days, participants are taught outdoor safety and injury prevention as well as first aid. St. Albert firefighters are on hand for the fire safety portion of the course.
Potential babysitters also learn about the responsibilities and rights of a babysitter and how to care for children.
“They’re learning about age appropriate activities and foods,” says Leland. “There’s also positive behaviour management as well, and that’s a big section.”
Leland says the instructors for CIVC have been teaching the Babysitter Safety course for close to 25 years and are well versed in the material.
In addition to offering the babysitting course, CIVC also provides an opportunity for babysitters to connect with potential clients. The centre has been running a babysitter referral service for 28 years and currently has over 300 clients and about 20 babysitters accessing the service.
Many of the babysitters who have taken the safety course and registered with CIVC’s referral service find a steady client base after building a relationship with families.
“Sometimes a client will limit themselves to maybe one or two good sitters,” Leland says. “And when they get secure with leaving the sitter alone with their children, then that’s what happens.”
CIVC also runs the St. Albert Child Care Connect Facebook page where parents and babysitters can find each other.
Leland says there is always more demand for babysitters than there are sitters available.
Modern Mama also provides opportunities for babysitters and parents to connect. The organization held a “Mama (and Dad) Need a Babysitter” event in October and Kimberly Ouellette, community director and owner of Modern Mama St. Albert North Edmonton, says another event is planned for the spring. Details will be available on the organization’s website at www.modernmama.com/st.albert.
