Brunswick County volunteer Marsha “Critter” Kitter teaches Girl Scouts life skills at camp through a one-week babysitting camp at Camp Graham and Camp Hardee, where older Girl Scouts split their time between traditional camp activities and an intensive babysitting course. How did Critter start turning campers into professional babysitters? Like most things with her, it’s a great story. 

Marsha is a Girl Scouts life skills guru. She has been a CPR/First Aid instructor for many years. About ten years ago, Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines needed a babysitting instructor, so Marsha stepped up and got certified. Critter was nervous to return to camp as an adult, but the campers and counselors welcomed her with open arms. She belonged there. Her initial plan was to lead babysitting camp for seven years to match the seven years she was a counselor as a young adult. She’s now at ten years and counting. 

At Babysitter Training Camp, Girl Scouts entering 6^th-10^th grade learn an impressive array of life skills while racking up some serious certifications. They learn about child and infant care, safety, heat-related emergencies, pediatric CPR, and First Aid. They conduct mock interviews to learn how to pitch themselves to potential clients, understand the client’s needs, and negotiate their rates. By the end of the week, they have earned their American Red Cross Babysitting + Pediatric CPR and First Aid certification and completed most or all of the requirements for the Cadette Babysitting Badge and the Cadette First Aid Badge. 

As much as Critter enjoys seeing the Girl Scouts acquire the brass tacks of these fundamental skills, she gets most excited when she reflects on the bigger picture of what these Girl Scouts are learning. For example, a couple of years ago, she had a camper who asked not to participate in the mock interviews since she was extremely uncomfortable talking to strangers. Marsha set the camper up with one of the groups to observe the exercise and discreetly let the guest interviewer know the situation so she didn’t put the girl on the spot. After only one round, the nervous camper wanted the interviewer to ask her a question. 

That’s not the only time Critter has noticed growth during the week. “I do like seeing the maturity level grow as the course progresses. The first day, they’re relatively quiet, but then, as the week goes on, I can see those leadership skills turning. When the girls first start out, they have difficulty doing compressions in CPR, but after they practice it, they are able to do it. Seeing someone learn the skill is very rewarding.” 

Critter also loves that she has seen many of her Babysitter Training Camp alums go on to pursue other leadership roles within Girl Scouts, whether they return to camp as a CIT or Counselor or undergo training to be a Program Aide. She reflects, “It’s nice to be able to offer leadership skills to the future generation of confident and capable women.” 

Life Skills is one of the four pillars of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. We are proud to offer our Girl Scouts a range of skills that enable them to become successful leaders, and we are grateful to volunteers like Marsha who make it possible. 

More to Discover 

Marsha leads training on CPR/First Aid and Safe Sitter Babysitting throughout the year. Check out our event calendar to see all of the activities we offer: Event Calendar | Girl Scouts (nccoastalpines.org) 

Want to hear more about Critter’s experience returning to camp? Check out her blog post from 2014 (you might even learn more about a favorite camp song): Why I Can’t Wait to be a Volunteer at Camp Graham this summer! – Blog – Girl Scouts NC Coastal Pines 

Check out this 2019 Girl Scout Research Institute study to learn more about how going to camp helps Girl Scouts acquire valuable life and leadership skills.