Dallas County Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will be hosting a program to teach youth the mechanics of caring for younger children next week.

The organization will be bringing its Babysitting Basics program to the Roy R Estle Memorial Library, 1308 Walnut Street, in Dallas Center next Tuesday, June 17th. According to Dallas County ISU Extension Fair Intern Kylee Chesterman, the program is geared toward fifth through seventh graders and will instruct them on how to become a responsible individual developing tools like First Aid, handling emergency situations, as well as playing age appropriate games. She highlights that she actually took the class when she was younger, and illustrates new discoveries she made.

“I really learned how to take care of the young age (children). I hadn’t really had much experience with babies. Learning how to change diapers, how to hold them up when you feed them, I never knew that there were different ways that you could burp a baby. And then just some basic first day (tasks of) what to do in certain situations.”

Chesterman shares that the program will be a full day event from 9am-3pm and welcomes participants to bring their lunch and water. She adds the program is free, but registration is required to secure a spot. To sign up, click here.