Seven teachers in Bremen High School District 228, and more than 50 students, are now CPR and first aid certified, thanks to a new initiative in the Child Care II course in the district. The teachers and students gained the certification after one teacher in the district suggested it would be beneficial to both students and staff.
“One of the teachers who happened to teach our Child Care II class said she would like to have her CPR certification because she works with little kids on a daily basis,” said April Nykaza, Family and Consumer Science Supervisor at Tinley Park High School.
Nykaza said that after researching the idea, the district was able to secure grant funding for the seven teachers to become certified CPR and first aid trainers. She said that the teachers had to become certified trainers to secure the funding, because the grant must be used for classroom related education.
“We have to be able to show how it's being used for professional development and how it's being used with students,” she said. “We already talk about health and safety with the kids, this just means we can certify them now, rather than just talking about it.”
She added that the new certification process was implemented this year and that the students were very receptive to the process.
“We presented certificates to the students who have completed the process and we threw them a party with cake and everything,” she said. “They were very excited about the whole process.”
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