eo DP For Parents How Can | Find A Sitter? (NAPSA)—Mary Poppins isn’t available and grandma is in Florida for the winter. So where can you find a sitter? Someone your children will love, whom you trust, who’s available when you need her, that you can afford? ’ a Photocredit: KinderCare Learning Centers Such a paragon may not be available, but it is possible to find someone who will take good care of your children, says Barbara Anderson, Ed. D., vice president of education for Knowledge Learning Corporation, which operates 1,900 early childhood education and care centers nationwide. Anderson suggests asking friends, relatives, neighbors and co-workers for recommendations. Request references and talk to other families for whom thesitter has worked. Look for sitters who’ve passed the American Red Cross babysitter’s training course, which includes certification in infant CPR and first aid. Then interview several prospects and introduce your children, who will let you know which theyprefer. In the end, trust your own judgment. You want someone with maturity and judgment, who likes children and can handle their basic needs. Most authorities recommend that a sitter be at least 12 or 13 years old. A good rule of thumb, says Anderson, is that the younger the child, the older the sitter should be.
