Safety and Care Essentials for Nannies and Professional Caregivers
A 150-minute instructor-led workshop for adults who care for other people's children
What it is
Care Ready is a hands-on workshop for nannies, au pairs, household caregivers, postpartum helpers, and any adult paid or trusted to care for infants and children in a family's home. It assumes competence and fills the gaps. Most working caregivers can settle a toddler and run a nap schedule. What they usually have not had is training for the low-frequency, high-stakes moments: a choking infant, an unresponsive child, an allergic reaction, a head injury on the playground.
What is covered
| The professional caregiver role, and the four agreements to settle in writing Ages and stages, and what supervision has to look like at each one Behavior tools that work without punishment Safe sleep, feeding, choking-risk foods, allergies, and medication | Injury prevention and a first-day safety sweep of an unfamiliar home Deciding fast between 9-1-1, calling the parent, and handling it yourself Choking rescue for infants and children, practiced on manikins CPR for infants and children, practiced on manikins |
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What participants leave with
A Care Ready Handbook to keep, with fill-in pages for emergency information, allergies, medication, a first-day safety sweep, and questions to bring to the family.
A certificate of completion
Practiced hands on infant and child CPR and choking rescue
Course Overview
| Time | Block | Min |
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| 0:00 | The professional caregiver role and the four agreements | 15 |
| 0:15 | Ages and stages | 15 |
| 0:30 | Behavior without punishment | 17 |
| 0:47 | Daily care: sleep, feeding, allergies, medication, diapering | 20 |
| 1:07 | Break | 10 |
| 1:17 | Injury prevention and the safety sweep | 15 |
| 1:32 | Who handles it: triage and first aid | 16 |
| 1:48 | Choking rescue, hands-on | 20 |
| 2:08 | CPR for infants and children, hands-on | 20 |
| 2:28 | The emergency plan and closing | 2 |
| One thing to be clear about This is a skills course, not a certification course. Participants learn and practice CPR and choking rescue and are able to perform them, but they do not leave holding an American Heart Association or Red Cross CPR card. If a family requires a card, we will point you to the certifying courses in this area. |
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Where we teach it
Anywhere in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area. A family's home, an agency office, a preschool or synagogue classroom, or a community room. We bring the manikins, the handbooks, and everything else.
Who it works for
Nanny agencies onboarding new placements or offering continuing education
Families hiring a first nanny or au pair, often paid for by the family
Nanny groups and parent associations organizing a session together
Postpartum doula and newborn care agencies
Preschools and religious schools serving the caregivers in their community
| To book a session Lindsay Karr, Mindful Beginnings LLC lindsay@mindfulbeginnings.org • 703-987-5979 • mindfulbeginnings.org |
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