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CPR - Preparing youth to save a life: How and when should you have your children take CPR classes? At what age can they be certified?
By D. Graham Curry
It's a story we've all heard too many times. A child tragically dies due to drowning, choking or some other sort of respiratory ailment. It's heart breaking to think that no one was able to save the life a helpless child. But what if the tables were turned and it was up to a child to save the life of someone else?
There are many documented cases where a child becomes a hero. 4 year-old Lechrista Gordon saved her mother's life by quickly dialing 911 when her mother collapsed in the kitchen. Calmly speaking with the 911 operators, the young girl stayed on the phone until help arrived at the scene. Even at such a young age, Lechrista realized that it was up to her to help her mom.
Like Lechrista, most kids have been taught what to do when they're approached by a stranger, lost in a public place or see a fire. Yet, in today's world it is becoming increasingly important for children to not only be able to recognize a dangerous situation, but to act as well. So as more and more responsibility is heaped on the shoulders our youth, it only makes sense that we prepare them for potentially life-threatening situations. Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training is one of many valuable tools that can transform a child into a hero.
Of course it's not as if CPR classes are advertised as part of everyday school curriculum. So how do we enroll kids into such classes? As the school year quickly evaporates, parents and caregivers may think that the opportunity to enroll in CPR classes is dwindling. But in reality, this is the perfect time of year to find a class for kids.
In fact, classes are available throughout the San Fernando Valley for both groups and individuals. The cost can range anywhere from $0 to $60 dollars per person. So there are plenty of choices for all budgets.
There are a number of places that work with certified trainers to provide classes. Youth groups such as the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts of America routinely offer their members access to CPR classes and certification. Church youth groups and religious organizations are also great avenues to find certified courses. Even some community centers have been known to offer CPR classes at little to no cost for the participants.
But if you know a child who is not affiliated with any such organization, local classes can be found by visiting the American Heart Association's website, www.americanheart.org or by calling their toll-free number 1-877-AHA-4CPR. CPR training courses can be found all over the San Fernando Valley in a host of locations that you might not consider. Local hospitals and nursing colleges are excellent resources.
The Red Cross of Los Angeles also has classes available. The four-hour course pr ovides students with knowledge including how to recognize a heart attack, the steps you should take in an emergency and the proper manner to administer CPR. Visit their website at http://redcrossla.org/classes/cpr to learn more.
Do you know of any young children you'd like to get certified? Well, although not all courses have a specific age requirement, the Red Cross of Los Angeles does require that all participants of any sponsored CPR class be able to read at fifth grade reading level in order to take the certification test given to students at the end of the class. That certification will be valid for one year from the date the class is taken.
Although the intense and potentially life-saving training that a CPR class can provide a child is an obvious benefit, don't underestimate the feeling of accomplishment that a child gets when he or she has been empowered with the skills to help someone in need. Our youth are asked to do so much; providing them with the means in which they can help others is a job we must take seriously. CPR classes are a method in which we can do such a thing.
For more info on CPR classes for youth, visit the sites listed below.
http://redcrossla.org/classes/cpr
www.cpc.mednet.ucla.edu/SRRS/
www.americanheart.org
www.ssofsocal.com
THE SUMMER ART ACADEMY
By Stacy Ousley
Summertime can be a bit hectic for families with children, especially when parents would like their kids to be involved in different activities to keep them from being bored or having idle time on their hands. Often this requires a parent to take the time to travel from location to location on different days so that their child can take classes such as ceramics, dance, art or drama. This can be a bit frustrating with the cost of gas and hectic work loads, and it's sometimes difficult to maintain productivity with children and keep them involved with activities while still managing to maintain a household. This is where the Summer Art Academy brings relief.
Eight years ago, David Wohstadter, Director of the Summer Art Academy, found a need for an alternative camp. He was looking for something that would be different and challenge students in a more creative environment, versus the traditional sports type of camps. He founded the Summer Art Academy. With his alternative type of camp programs, children are exposed to custom-crafted summer arts workshops filled with stimulating and enriching projects focusing on exploring a wide variety of techniques and materials and taught by a caring, patient, seasoned staff of teachers and assistants who help open minds and change lives. If your child already is involved in fencing, art, music, etc. and you typically go to different locations to study for these classes, at the Summer Art Academy you can do it all at one location. This is made possible by allowing the campers to attend four different workshops in each session they attend, giving them the opportunity to expand their interests as well as learn different concepts in areas of the arts they are interested in.
The Summer Art Academy is broken up into four different camps. The first would be the Art Camp. This is a fantastic opportunity for children between 7 and 11 years of age to be able to learn various different subjects pertaining to all forms of art. Children from all over the Valley attend and take workshops in a variety of subjects such as visual arts, international art, handcrafted art and theatre arts to name a few. This includes a wide area of study and over 56 different types of workshops. Each workshop is co-ed and consists of approximately 15-16 students per class giving opportunity for more individual training.
The next camp would be Cooking Camp, where children between 7 and 16 years of age have the opportunity to enjoy culinary classes pertaining to different aspects of cooking. Cooking Camp will not only give children a background in basic fundamentals of cooking, but they will learn to cook and bake as well as learn to work safely in the kitchen. The students are left feeling accomplished as well as having a knowledge that could sure help mom and dad out with day to day living.
The third camp would be Clay Camp where children between the ages of 6 and 14 have an opportunity to really explore their creative side. Clay Camp offers workshops in pinch pots, coil vessels, potters wheel, glazing and clay decoration. Each workshop is limited to roughly about 15 students again giving the opportunity for more individual training.
The fourth and final camp would be K Camp. Children between the ages of 5 and 6 have a unique opportunity to attend the Summer Art Academy. These students will learn to make woodworking projects, discuss and draw animals, make cooking dough for doughnuts and cookies as well as learning movement and dance. They get a taste of all three "older" camps all rolled up into one! These workshops are a unique way of fine tuning motor skills and concentration as well as expanding hand and eye coordination. K Campers are given pre-assigned courses when they attend.
Whatever the age might be, (they even offer a pottery class for the adults as well as a counselor in training program for teenage students), the Summer Art Academy is a fantastic way to spend the summer at affordable pricing! For more information about the Summer Art Academy, please visit their website at www.summerartacademy.com. Or feel free to contact the Academy directly at (818) 386-1108.