Special Sitters

Abstract

Parents of children with disabilities need respite but often cannot find trained sitters. Camp Fire's Special Sitters Project addresses this need. Through this program, 13- to 16-year-olds are trained to care for young children who have handicaps and are then linked with parents who call to request service. The standardized training package was developed after parents were surveyed to assess their expectations of training and willingness to hire trained adolescents. To date, 170 sitters have been trained (in King County), and 493 parents have called to request service. The project has been successfully replicated in five other communities, and materials have been distributed at cost to 45 others. Positive feedback from parents and sitters alike suggests that the Special Sitters Project augments community efforts in helping meet the respite care needs of special families.