Childhood Opportunity Zones (COZ)

RHODE ISLAND

PROJECT CHARACTERISTICS PROGRAM AREA(S)
  Targets hard-to-reach/at risk population   Injury Prevention
       
TYPE OF JURISDICTION    
  State    
       
TARGETED POPULATION(S) JURISDICTION SIZE
  Children 987,429


PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
The leading cause of death and disability to children is unintentional injuries. More than 8,000 children die each year in the United States, while another 50,000 children are permanently disabled due to unintentional injuries.


GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The Childhood Opportunity Zones (COZ) are school-based family centers through which human services are provided to the 20 school districts in Rhode Island. The traffic safety component of the COZ was established in 1996, with the goal of reduction of fatalities and disabilities to Rhode Island children due to unintentional injuries. The following objectives helped attain the goal:


STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
The Rhode Island Department of Education and Department of Health together developed a strategy for addressing the injury prevention issues concerning the state's children. The primary strategy for implementation of a comprehensive injury prevention program was use of the established human services delivery program, the COZ. Department of Health program administrators developed a competition for the funds that solicited proposals for traffic safety activities from the state's 20 school districts. Six of the school districts were funded and employed some of the following activities in addressing the goal and objectives of the program:

 

RESULTS
Each of the funded COZs were required by the criteria of their award to perform pre-and post-program analyses on traffic safety issues. Some results include the following:

  • 902 child safety seats were distributed
  • 12 child safety seat inspection drive-through clinics were conducted
  • 1,234 bicycle helmets were distributed
  • 123 students from one COZ participated in a safety belt poster contest
  • Child safety seat use in one COZ increased from 45.7 percent, pre-program, to 71.1 percent, post-program
  • Knowledge of pedestrian safety rules in one COZ improved from 32 percent to 69 percent during the program year

FUNDING
  Section 402:

$100,000

CONTACT  
  Edward J. Walsh
Administrator
Governor's Office on Highway Safety
345 Harris Avenue
Providence, RI 02909
(401) 222-3024


National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Spring 1998