Child care workers required to have CPR, AED, SIDS training

Starting April 1, all child care employees will need CPR, AED and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome training. The changes were based on a 2014 federal grant to improve child care practices.

Kids at the YMCA in Bismarck are under the supervision of CPR and first aid trained teachers. Now, the state is mandating training for all employees.

"I'm very happy with that. I think any training we can get for our staff to provide quality programs is great,” said Carmen Traeholt, who works at the YMCA in Bismarck.

Legislators approved nearly 300 pages of new rules for the Department of Human Services. Amy Olsen with DHS says mandating it for everyone protects kids.

"There wouldn't be any wait time. If something happened, an infant was choking on something or a preschooler needed first aid, we don't have to wait to call that's in the center. All hands are trained and able to take care of it immediately,” said Early Childhood Services Administrator Amy Olsen.

That training helped one teacher save the life of a child.

"Not only was the person performing the CPR know what they were doing, but the people around her were able to help coach her and encourage her as she worked through that process,” said Dawnita Nilles, the director of the University Children Center at UND.

The rules also change the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome training, making it so a person must have the training before unsupervised work with infants. From 1990 to 2015, the national SIDS rate dropped from 154 deaths to 39 deaths per 100,000 births according to the CDC.