The 2020-2021 school year will be Trude Sowada’s twelfth year using Baby in her FCS class, and her first year using the infant simulator during a pandemic. A FCS teacher at Sauk Rapids-Rice High School in Sauk Rapids, MN, Sowada taught much of her third trimester last year virtually. This fall, she’s conducting her child development courses in a blended environment (half online and half in person) as well as teaching a group of entirely remote students. And because Baby is such a popular – and powerful – part of her child development curriculum, Sowada has taken specific steps to make her infant simulators available to students in the safest possible way.
“I started by discussing it with our principal, because RealCare Baby is such an important part of our program,” said Sowada. “My students know about the Babies – they’ve seen their older siblings and friends take care of them, and they want the experience. And if they’re excited about learning, I didn’t want to deny them that opportunity.”