Nearly all (98 percent) of 11- to 13-year-old babysitters（临时保姆） know who to contact in the event of（发生） an intruder（侵入者，干扰者） or if a child is sick or injured (96 percent) or poisoned (85 percent), according to research presented Sunday, Oct. 3, at the American Academy of Pediatrics（小儿科） (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in San Francisco. However, 40 percent of younger babysitters reported that they had left children unattended（没人照顾的） while babysitting, and 20 percent opened the door to strangers. In the study, "Babysitter Safety Training: Are Children Aged¹ 11-13 Years Prepared to Deal with Emergencies While Caring for Younger Children?" researchers surveyed 727 pre-teens who have cared for a younger infant or child as a babysitter.

Fifty-one percent of the children interviewed had taken a first-aid training class; 47 percent, a class in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation²（心肺复苏） , and 19 percent, the American Red Cross Safe Sitter or other babysitter class. Ninety-two percent of pre-teen babysitters were familiar with the location of first aid supplies and 64 percent with the location of a fire extinguisher（灭火器） . Ten percent of pre-teen babysitters have had a personal experience with an emergency requiring 911 activation³: 10 respondents called 911 after a child sustained injuries from a significant fall, eight because of a house fire, six because a child had profuse⁴（丰富的） bleeding from a laceration（裂伤，撕裂） , and six for a significant head trauma⁵.

The study provided a snapshot of pre-teen babysitter strengths and weaknesses, said lead study author Nicole M. Hackman, MD, FAAP, of Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital. "By identifying the unsafe behaviors, we have the opportunity to design specific educational programs to prepare pre-teen babysitters to safely respond to common emergency situations."