Many young teens in Mercer County return home from school to find their younger siblings waiting in an empty house. They take on the role of caretakers until their parents arrive home from work. Additionally, some youths, such as those in the sixth grade, are eager to start their first ventures as babysitters. To prepare for the critical responsibilities of caring for younger children, 10 teens participated in a two-session 4-H Babysitting Workshop.

A pretest revealed that none of the participants felt prepared to feed or provide first aid to young children before the program began. While they understood the importance of keeping the younger children safe and entertaining them, the pretest also indicated that they lacked knowledge of the basic rules for creating a secure environment and how to approach babysitting as a business.

The seminar covered basic first-aid, how to select and prepare nutritious snacks and meals, and the ages and stages of babies, toddlers, and young children. Other seminar topics included age-appropriate games, testing toys for safety, building a resume, marketing your business, establishing a safety network, and knowing who to call when something goes wrong. They shared experiences of things gone wrong when they were with sitters and what could have prevented the incidents. They role-played scenarios of what to do when situations occur. They prepared a bag of tricks and a notebook containing emergency information to take to babysitting jobs, as well as flyers, business cards, and certificates to promote their business. Youth participants completed the CPR and first aid certification on the final day. 

Post-tests and testimonials showed that 100% of the participants were more prepared to be caretakers for younger children, whether siblings or charges on a babysitting job.