• Online Babysitting & Child Care Classes


    Online babysitting classes from the American Red Cross allow you to gain the babysitting skills necessary to care for the kids in your neighborhood when their parents can't be with them. Designed to allow you to learn at your own pace, our courses deliver best-in-class instruction and the latest information on your schedule. Best of all, with successful completion of each course, you'll earn a Red Cross babysitting certificate that you can use to demonstrate your skills and build your resume.

    Online Babysitting and Child Care Courses

    Although child care is a hands-on activity, some courses are available online – and offer interactive modules that allow you to test your skills in a simulated environment. Developed by experts in the field, our online babysitting classes deliver the information you need in a convenient, easy-to-use format. Our current courses include:

    Babysitting Basics:

    Designed for youths ages 11 and older, this online babysitting course introduces you to the skills and concepts necessary to provide the kids in your neighborhood with high-quality care. With information on caring for infants and children, choosing age-appropriate activities, child behavior and more, it's an excellent first step in starting your babysitting business.

    Advanced Child Care Training:

    These online courses deliver the latest information on caring for infants and children in and outside of the home. In addition, they offer training in leadership, child behavior and discipline, safety, professionalism, and more.

    (Note: Advanced Child Care Training is not intended as certification for state licensed child care providers and does not meet all state requirements for such certification.)

    Additional Online Safety Training

    In addition to babysitting and Child Care classes, online First Aid and CPR/AED certification courses are also available. Designed to give you the skills needed to help in times of crisis, our First Aid and CPR/AED classes offer innovative, industry-leading instruction in an online environment. After successfully completing these courses you'll receive a two-year certification and access to refresher materials throughout your certification period. This way, you can keep your skills fresh between certifications.

    Why Train With the Red Cross

    Red Cross CPR Training Saves Lives

    Reid Heiser, Life Saver
    One week after 17-year-old Reid completed his Red Cross CPR training, he needed to use it. In November 2011, Reid saved the life of Jim Hammer after he collapsed at the recreation center where Reid worked. Now friends, they share their story.

    Red Cross training matters
    For more than a century, we've prepared people to respond to emergencies of all sizes - from the everyday to the large disaster. Join the millions we train every year and learn the skills that can save a life.

    "Without my friend's training, I would not be here"
    - Watch Bre Dumke's Story

    "The first 7 minutes are critical"
    - Watch More

    Red Cross certification of completion on a tablet

    Certification Made Simple. Fast. Easy. Digital.

    The American Red Cross makes babysitting training and certification fast, simple and easy. And with Red Cross Digital Certificates you'll get anytime, anywhere access to your certificates; plus the ability to print, share, and download them wherever and whenever you like. Digital certificates can be viewed, printed or shared online and can be accessed anytime through your Red Cross Account. Each certificate includes a unique ID and a QR code which meets employment requirements and allows employers to easily confirm your certificate is valid. Class participants and employers can visit https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/digital-certificate and enter the ID found on the digital certificate (or scan the QR code with a standard QR reader using a smart device) to access a copy of the valid certificate with student training information.

    Click here for instructions on accessing your certification online.