Swimming School Offers Online Babysitting Course

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Category: Education/Family

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. toddler / ˈtɒd lər / (n) – a very young child around the age when he or she is just learning to walk
    Example:

    Emily has two children, a toddler and a five-year-old.


  2. toilet-train / ˈtɔɪ lɪtˌtreɪn / (v) – to teach a young child how to use the toilet
    Example:

    His parents started to toilet-train him when he was two.


  3. licensed / ˈlaɪ sənsd / (adj) – certified or having an official license
    Example:

    She’s a licensed doctor of medicine.


  4. keep in touch with (someone) / kip ɪn tʌtʃ wɪð / (idiom) – to continue to communicate with someone
    Example:

    I still keep in touch with my closest friends from college.


  5. entire / ɛnˈtaɪər / (adj) – describing the whole of something
    Example:

    I read the entire book from cover to cover.


Article

Read the text below.

Aqua Essence Swim Academy in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is offering a free online course that teaches children how to babysit.


The Canada-based swimming school began offering the course in April 2020. The program is open for applicants aged 11 to 15, and a total of 367 youths will have the opportunity to join it.


Participants will be able to learn how to properly take care of babies and toddlers and be able to promote themselves as babysitters. They will also learn about the different stages of child development, fire safety, and first aid for choking, poisoning, and allergies. Other lessons include how to toilet-train very young children, what items to bring to a babysitting job, and what questions to ask when speaking with the child’s parents.


The course will be taught by one of the licensed instructors of the swimming school and will be conducted via Zoom. Rishona Hyman, owner and instructor at the Aqua Essence Swim Academy, said that the academy was very excited to offer the course to the youth of Manitoba.


According to Hyman, the babysitting course can serve as the first step in teaching the participants about leadership. She added that through the program, children can learn how to be independent and make decisions quickly.


Participants can still keep in touch with the swimming school to get advice even after they finish the entire course.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

• Do you think it’s a good idea to offer a babysitting course to children? Why or why not?
• What non-academic lessons should children learn (e.g. cooking, gardening)? Discuss.

Discussion B

• Do you think it’s okay for institutions to offer courses that are not related to their programs (e.g. a swimming school teaching babysitting, a music school teaching painting)? Why or why not?
• What skills should people learn these days (e.g. basic medical courses, communication courses)? Discuss.