Local Girl Scouts Enhance Babysitter Safety Training

Hingham, MA - When six fifth grade Girl Scouts from Hingham began working toward their Bronze Award, they chose a project with real purpose. Their work is already making a difference in how babysitters across Massachusetts are trained.

Petra Alexander, Lilah Flike, Yianna Hauser, Lilly Minnehan, Morgan Siegmann, and Ellie West, members of Hingham Girl Scouts Troop 70755, noticed a critical safety gap in local babysitting courses. Young babysitters were not being taught how to respond to seizures or anxiety attacks, two common situations that can escalate quickly without proper support.

For some of these young leaders, the project hits close to home: “Some of us have experienced anxiety, and others have family members who have seizures,” the girls explained. “We realized that a lot of babysitters wouldn’t know what to do in those moments. We wanted to change that.”

So they did.

The troop partnered with South Shore Safety, a respected organization that runs babysitter training courses throughout the state. With guidance from co-founder Bette Antonellis, the girls developed age-appropriate training content that teaches young babysitters how to recognize and respond to seizures and anxiety attacks.

Their work was quickly implemented. The new materials were officially added to the Babysitter Safety Course and launched on May 23, 2025, at the Hingham Recreation Center. The updated curriculum is now a permanent part of the program and will be taught to babysitters as young as eleven across Massachusetts.

“You saw a need in your community and took action,” said Antonellis. “You did not just strengthen our program. You improved it for everyone we serve.”

The project was completed as part of the Bronze Award, the highest honor for Girl Scouts in grades four and five. To earn it, scouts must identify a meaningful issue, research it, build a solution, partner with others, and take action that has lasting impact.

As members of Hingham’s top cookie selling troop, these six Girl Scouts have proven they know how to lead with purpose and get things done. Their collaboration, commitment, and compassion reflect the true values of Girl Scouting and the spirit of the Bronze Award, creating meaningful change through leadership and service.

This project is a clear reminder that young people can create real solutions and make their communities safer.

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