Fort Cavazos CYS teaches youth how to care for others

FORT CAVAZOS, Texas — For parents looking for a teen babysitter this summer, Child and Youth Services had their first CYSitter Class for summer 2025 May 27 at High Chaparral Youth Center on Fort Cavazos.

According to Alicia Rooman Wilson, Kids on Site specialist with the Outreach Services for CYS and the facilitator for the class, said the class is offered to school-aged youth 12 to 18 years old.

“We go over the different ages of the children that they could be babysitting for,” she said. “They will be caring for the children and also not just playing, but interacting with them, and also be prepared if an emergency does arise, with it being a fire, with it being a medical emergency or with it being a choking (incident).”

According to the Fort Cavazos Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation website, the training follows the 4-H babysitter curriculum for becoming a certified Teen Babysitter. According to the 4-H military partnership website, teens learn about the
different stages of the children they could watch, safety, nutrition, handling emergencies, appropriate activities to implement with children and the business of babysitting. The teens also were certified in CPR and first aid.

“It is required that they (teens) need to have this class when they are 13 years old to babysit on post,” Rooman Wilson said.

She also said if parents give their permission and the teens want to, they can be put on the babysitter’s referral list at Parent Central Services. This list is given out to registered CYS families.

Lilliana Moran-Lopez, 17, participated in the program for a second time and said it is much better than before.

“I did it when I was about 12,” she said. “Now I’m 17, and I think that now they have a structure with teaching the class … Now she was organized, and she really held all the kids together who were dozing off.”

Lilliana thinks this class is not only good for those who are going to babysit but it also helps children be prepared for helping people in the real world.

“A lot of people may not know how to give chest compressions,” she said. “Even adults may not know how to give chest compressions. So, the fact that you’re from middle school age to about high school age, you’re able to do that ... that is really, really important, and it can really save someone’s life. Not only it can save a child’s life, an infant’s life, but an adult’s life as well. And you can use this again, not for babies or little kids, but maybe even your parents, maybe even your friends, if they’re having trouble. It’s a really good way to just have that knowledge.”

Josiah Fuentes, 12, agreed as he is using the program to be able to help with his siblings while his mom is recovering from surgery. He wanted to concentrate on changing diapers, cleaning up their messes, feeding them and being ready for emergencies. He said it is a great course for other teens to receive.

“You get to learn new things,” he said. “You get to be more open to new experiences, just to know if you ever start babysitting here’s what you should know. Here’s what you could do just so your business could be better in general.”

The next CYSitter Classes will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 16 and July 14 at the High Chaparral Youth Center.

For more information, call Parent Central Services at 254-287-7273.