Golden Belt Community Foundation

For Immediate Release

May 21, 2010

Need a Certified Babysitter?

If you are looking for a qualified babysitter this summer, Hoisington just might be the place to find one. All sixth grade students at Hoisington Middle School have just completed the American Red Cross Babysitters Training. The 43 sixth-graders in Mrs. Lori Richter's Life Skills classes are now certified babysitters with the American Red Cross.

This training was made possible by a $1,100 grant from the Golden Belt Community Foundation. The grant is available through the Kansas Health Foundation Youth Endowment Fund, which focuses on improving the health and well being of youth ages 0 – 21 years of age. The foundation covered the cost of the training; as well as a Babysitter's Training Handbook, Babysitter's Training CD-ROM, and Emergency Reference Guide for each student.

Monica Ravenstein, Health and Safety Coordinator with the Golden Belt Branch of the American Red Cross instructed the classes. Students were given tools for how to be a good leader, effectively communicate with others and how make good decisions. The boys and girls learned how to gather necessary information from the parents. Students can then use the Babysitter's Training CD-ROM to store all of the important information needed to be a proficient babysitter at each job. The sixth grade Life Skills class also learned how to avoid injuries and illnesses, and how to react when an emergency occurs. Basic First Aid and Rescue Breathing were covered in the course. After discussing the growth and development of children, the students had hands-on experience with picking up, holding, feeding, and diapering a mock baby.

When families hire a babysitter, they are entrusting that the person care for their children and their homes. They want a strong leader who enjoys children and will keep them safe. We hope that this course has inspired young babysitters to be the best at their babysitting job.

At $6 million in total assets and over 90 endowment funds under management, the Golden Belt Community Foundation has been helping donors fulfill their charitable wishes since 1996. Over $1 million has been reinvested into the communities of Barton, Pawnee, Rush, and Stafford counties in the form of grants since 2002. For more information about the Golden Belt Community Foundation, call (620) 792-3000 or see their website at www.goldenbeltcf.org.