Most people who call about a CPR class are not doing it for a job. They are doing it because a baby is coming, because they are watching grandkids two days a week, or because a teenager just started babysitting for the neighbors and the parents asked whether she is certified. There is no employer telling you which course to take, which makes it harder to know what to sign up for.
Here is the short version for families around Wauconda, Island Lake, Volo, Round Lake, Fox Lake, and Grayslake. Classes are held in Lakemoor, which is a short drive from all of them.
The class most families need
If you are not working in healthcare, the course you want is Heartsaver CPR AED. It is $95 and runs two to three hours. It is the American Heart Association course written for the general public rather than for nurses and paramedics, and it covers adults, children, and infants.
The other course families ask about is Heartsaver First Aid, also $95, running one to two hours. That one is about the things that happen far more often than cardiac arrest does, which is most of what a parent or a sitter actually deals with. Plenty of people take both. If you are trying to work out which one fits, the class prices page lays out every course side by side.
What you practice in a Heartsaver class
This is not a lecture you sit through. You are on the floor with a manikin for most of it, and you keep going until the compressions feel like something you could actually do.
- Recognizing when someone needs CPR and getting help on the way
- Compressions and breaths on an adult, a child, and an infant manikin
- Using an AED, including what changes when the patient is a child
- Choking, including the difference between an adult and an infant
- In the first aid class, bleeding, burns, allergic reactions, and falls
The infant portion is the part expectant parents and grandparents ask about most, and it is the part people say afterward they were most glad they practiced. An infant is not a small adult, and the technique is different.
Nobody is going to embarrass you
The most common reason people put this off is not cost or time. It is the worry that they will be the only one in the room who does not know anything, or that they will be called on in front of a group of paramedics. That is not how these run. Classes are taught by Ray Mamerow, a certified American Heart Association instructor with more than 30 years in healthcare who has been teaching CPR since 2010, and the pace matches the room. If you have never touched a manikin before, you are exactly who the class is for. The testimonials page is worth a look if you want a sense of the tone before you book.
Grandparents, sitters, and family groups
If more than a couple of people in your circle need this, it is often easier to do it together. New parents sometimes get the grandparents and the regular sitter certified at the same time so everyone who will be alone with the baby has had the same training. Church groups, scout troops, mothers clubs, and daycare staff do the same thing.
Onsite group training comes to your location anywhere in the service area and is quoted per group at group rates. You can book that directly through the onsite group training link.
Your card is issued before you leave
Every class ends with a two year AHA card issued at the end of class. If a daycare, a school, or a family you sit for wants proof, you have it that day rather than waiting on the mail. Set a reminder for two years out, because renewing before the card expires is simpler than starting over after it lapses.
When you can actually get in
Classes run seven days a week, roughly 9:00am to 6:30pm, with weekend classes available on request. There is no waiting list, so you are not sitting on a form hoping a seat opens up in six weeks. If a due date or a start date is closer than that, emergency scheduling is $150 and is often available the same day or the next day.
Book a class
Pick a time at calendly.com/links4life. If you are not sure whether you want CPR, first aid, or both, text 815-690-0664 and describe your situation. You can also use the contact page or email Links4lifecpr@gmail.com. Classes are held at 28959 Pilgrims Pass, Lakemoor, IL 60051.
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