BURLINGTON—Being a good babysitter involves more than just knowing how to keep kids entertained. To help middle school youths learn the skills needed to be a responsible, caring and capable babysitter, University of Vermont (UVM) Extension 4-H is offering a free six-hour babysitting course via Zoom. Anyone in Grades 5-8 may register for one of three separate course offerings: Feb. 23 and 25, 9 a.m.-noon; March 16, 23 and 30, 3-5 p.m.; or April 13 and 15, 9 a.m.-noon. Neither enrollment in 4-H nor residency in Vermont is required.
The course will prepare teens to handle any real-life babysitting situation from supervising children and choosing age-appropriate activities to preparing simple snacks, administering basic first aid and dealing with emergencies. It also will cover safety and good decision-making as well as the business of babysitting and what  information to ask parents.
To register, go to uvm.edu/extension/youth/announcements. A Zoom link will be emailed to all registered participants no later than one day prior to the start of their first session.
Anyone requiring a disability-related accommodation to participate should contact UVM Extension educator Lindy Birch by Feb. 9 at [email protected].