Florida--Orange County Head Start Safety Program

Orange County Head Start Safety Program

FLORIDA

PROJECT CHARACTERISTICS		PROGRAM AREA(S)
	Targets hard-to-reach/at risk population		Child Passenger Safety
			Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety
			Injury Prevention

TYPE OF JURISDICTION
	County

TARGETED POPULATION(S)		JURISDICTION SIZE
	Children		2,652

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
Unintentional injuries remain the number one killer of children. Youngsters are injured as they ride in motor vehicles (350 preschool children lost their lives in vehicle crashes nationwide in 1996), as they ride bicycles and as they walk as pedestrians. Surveys conducted in Orange County, Florida, clearly reflected a need to educate parents and their children about the dangers of unsafe behaviors relating to occupant protection and pedestrian/bicycle safety. Parents surveyed admitted to discontinuing the use of car seats when a child reaches three or four years old. They were also unaware of the importance of proper bicycle helmet use (or where to obtain free or affordable helmets), and did not realize the value of teaching their children safe pedestrian behavior.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goal of the Orange County Head Start Safety Program was the prevention of injuries and fatalities resulting from unsafe traffic practices, aided by the following objectives:

Create partnerships among the community's various safety leaders
Develop an injury prevention program targeting the children enrolled in the county's Head Start Centers
Produce a "train-the-trainers" injury prevention curriculum for the teaching and support staff of the Head Start Centers

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
The Orange County Head Start Safety Program was developed in 1997 by the Orange County Sheriff's Office, Occupant Protection Program, in close cooperation and collaboration with the 30 Head Start Centers in Orange County, 14 of which are located directly on elementary school campuses. Program developers used the established curriculum and strong teacher influence of the Head Start program to integrate a safety prevention program into the daily routine of the students, modifying behavior toward safe practices. Some of the strategies and activities conducted through the program included:

In-service training workshops for teaching and support staff, providing training and technical assistance in the implementation of the safety program
Interactive learning programs between the children and their caregivers, whereby the children develop a picture brochure at home and are rewarded with a Buckle Up t-shirt and Deputy Certificate when the brochure is completed and returned
An education blitz conducted during the weeks immediately preceding the Buckle Up America! Week in May. This blitz will use the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Vince and Larry^® public service announcement videos, Vince and Larry^® Buckle Up for Life Club Cards, posters, and other educational support materials
A post-event observational seat belt survey to be conducted during the week of the Buckle Up America! campaign, to measure the effect of the education blitz on the behavior of those completing the pre-event survey. The pre-event survey indicated a disappointing 49 percent use of seat belts
Hands-on pedestrian and bicycle helmet safety instruction conducted at the Orange County Children's Safety Village

RESULTS
Funding for this program was made available in January 1998; however, in anticipation of approval for the program, training-of-trainer exercises began in October 1997, to prepare Head Start teaching and support staff. Since implementation of the program in January 1998, more than 300 car seats have been distributed, accompanied by training in use of the seats for the children's parents.

A post-event seat belt use survey will be conducted in Summer 1998, following Orange County's participation in the Buckle Up America! campaign.

FUNDING
	Section 402:	$56,300
	Orange County Sheriff's Office:	$14,869
CONTACT
	Kay Fortinberry Orange County Sheriff's Office Occupant Protection P.O Box 1440 Orlando, FL 82802-1440 (407) 836-3744

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Spring 1998