AURORA | In the increasingly competitive market for baby sitters, parents are willing to shell out a premium for three letters: CPR.
According to a survey by the American Red Cross released this month, 80 percent of the more than 1,000 parents polled said baby sitters with CPR certification deserve to be paid more. With 10 percent of parents saying they pay between $11 and $15 an hour for baby sitters and 4 percent paying up to $20 an hour, the survey said having those certifications can prove lucrative for a sitter.
And experts say parents are concerned more than ever about finding a sitter who has CPR and other life-saving skills.
“It can be hard for parents to trust someone to care for their children when they’re not at home,” said Jessica McDonald, who oversees delivery of Red Cross health and safety services in Colorado. “It’s only natural to want someone who isn’t just a loving playmate but who is also trained in what to do during an emergency.”
The report said Colorado ranks No. 4 in the nation for the number of teens who complete the organization’s baby sitter training, which includes how to respond in an emergency.
Heidi Beaudette, 29, a nanny in Massachusetts, said she has CPR and first-aid certifications and increasingly sees parents looking for those skills.
“It puts parents’ mind at ease to know that person is educated in how to act in an emergency,” she said.
Beaudette, who has been in child care on and off for almost 12 years, said she thinks it’s fair for baby sitters or nannies to ask for more money if they have those sought-after skills.
“It is worth more money to have that extra peace of mind,” she said.
Melissa Armstrong, 35, an Aurora mom with kids aged 5 and 7, said the concern extends beyond baby sitters.
When she became a mom, Armstrong said she enrolled in a first-aid class so she’d be able to respond appropriately in an emergency.
“I think that we are in a scarier age,” she said.
And while she doesn’t often hire a sitter, Armstrong said she isn’t surprised to hear that parents who do are looking for people trained in CPR.
“I would feel more comfortable having somebody who knows how to handle the different situations that come up,” she said.
When she sees her neighborhood newsletter, Armstrong said area teens looking for baby-sitting jobs often list their CPR certification at the top of their ads.
At Care.com, which matches baby sitters and other caregivers to parents who need them, managing editor Katie Bugbee said she encourages people looking for work as a nanny or a sitter to list their CPR and first-aid qualifications.
“When they have certifications and training it’s a great selling point,” she said.
Reach reporter Brandon Johansson at 720-449-9040 or bjohansson@aurorasentinel.com