Best Babysitting Certification Programs

Safe Sitter was founded by Dr. Patricia Keener in 1980 after she learned that the child of one of her colleagues suffered a fatal choking incident while in the care of an adult babysitter. When you sign up for an in-person or online Safe Sitter course, you can learn from a number of qualified educators in all 50 states; these instructors always have at least two years of experience in either health or child care and have completed Safe Sitter’s instructor training.

In the courses, you’ll learn safety skills for indoor, outdoor, and online settings, child care skills such as behavior management, business skills like wage-setting and meeting employers, and first aid skills including injury management and choking rescue (CPR is available as an added component). There is also an introductory babysitting class, as well as a short course on staying safe at home alone for kids in grades four to six.

The American Red Cross is well known for its health and safety training programs and it currently offers three levels of babysitter courses online. Based entirely online, the Babysitting Basics course is made up of six training modules featuring games, activities, videos, and a final exam. Participants will learn how to care for children of all ages, stay safe and manage emergencies or injuries, entertain their young charges, and get their babysitting business off the ground.

The course takes about four hours to complete and can be done on your own schedule. When you successfully pass your final exam, the Red Cross will send you a digital certificate with a unique identifying code, so anyone can easily verify your certification from a smartphone or computer.

The American Heart Association's pediatric Heartsaver training not only teaches people who work with kids how to provide care in a cardiac emergency until help arrives, but it also covers numerous aspects of first aid, from accidental poisoning and burns to allergic reactions, nose bleeds, and broken bones.

Most appropriate for teen and adult caregivers, the pediatric Heartsaver training is a comprehensive course in choking rescue and CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation, which includes airway ventilation and chest compressions) for children and infants. Since these lifesaving procedures are different for babies and kids than adults, it’s important to have specific pediatric training. Completing a program like this one as a babysitter can give you and your employing families extra confidence in your ability to provide care in an emergency until professional help arrives.

Because of the physical nature of learning correct CPR procedures, there is a necessary hands-on component to the AHA’s training. Once you complete the training online, you will need to arrange for a virtual hands-on skill session with an AHA instructor before you receive your completion card, which is good for two years (contact your local AHA training center for renewal requirements). There is also an option to meet with a local AHA instructor to complete the training in-person.

The course was created by people with childcare and babysitting experience. It also includes up-to-date CPR and first aid information. Evaluation and instant certification make this program really shine.

The Babysitting Certification Institute says it teaches "the four B’s of child care: Be Prepared, Be Safe, Be Responsible, and Be Fun.” It recommends the course for first-time babysitters or anyone wanting to get more comfortable with caring for children. But the main advantage here is convenience: The course and certification exam are 100% online and can take just a few hours.

For $95, you’ll receive everything you need to work through the course. If you pass the test with at least 80% correct responses, your certification will immediately arrive via email. If you don’t pass, you can retake the test as many times as needed until you score 80%. Your certification is good for 12 months and the institute offers recertification training at a discount of $65 for returning sitters wanting to refresh their credentials.

For sitters who are ready to move to the next level of babysitting (longer hours, more kids, more responsibilities), the Babysitting Basics course offered by the American Red Cross won’t be comprehensive enough. The organization's Advanced Child Care Training course kicks your preparation up a notch, however, allowing you to more confidently handle complex babysitting scenarios.

You’ll learn how to manage challenging child behaviors, present yourself as a confident and competent sitter to parents, and implement disciplinary practices when necessary. There are even opportunities to make choices in real-time during the course and see how animated characters respond to your decisions.

Like the Babysitting Basics class, the modules are available completely online for you to work through at your own pace. The cost for the course is $45 and you’ll receive a unique digital certificate of completion that can easily be verified by your employing families.