LIVERMORE FALLS — MaineHealth Franklin Hospital is partnering with Spruce Mountain Adult Education to offer a babysitting certification class for ages 11 and up.

This is not the first time this class has taken place. MaineHealth Franklin Hospital and Spruce Mountain Adult Education have worked closely with each other on workforce development for at least seven years.

MaineHealth Clinical Resource Manager Tania Dawson shared that through a Maine Area Health Education Center [AHEC] grant, funds are provided by the University of New England which MaineHealth Franklin Hospital Education Department uses it to recruit and retain professional healthcare workers. They do this with the help of Spruce Mountain Adult Education, who hosts medical assisting classes like the babysitting course. Dawson said that this also gets kids interested in the field of health care.

Dawson said that she helped build the series of medical assisting classes with Spruce Mountain Director of Adult Education and Workforce Training Robyn Raymond. Dawson said that Spruce Mountain Adult Ed had been doing babysitting classes and had lost their instructor. Raymond reached out to Dawson, asking if she knew anyone who could teach the course.

Jennifer Stevens, education coordinator at MaineHealth, will teach the upcoming babysitting course. The class will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 15, at the Spruce Mountain Adult Ed center at 9 Cedar St. from 4-7:30 p.m.

The course will teach students skills, techniques and situational knowledge in order to start looking after younger children. Students will leave the course with an American Heart Association certification in First Aid and CPR as well as the confidence to begin their journey in assisting families by taking close care of their children.

The course has a $10 registration fee.

To register or for more information, see the Spruce Mountain Adult Ed website or Facebook page.