PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
Colorado's Primary Law for Children requires that children under the age of 4 and under 40 pounds use an approved child safety seat in all vehicle seating positions. Moreover, children under age 15 must be restrained by seat belts. In April 1992, a survey conducted by the Denver Department of Social Services (DDSS) revealed that 1,630 children between the ages of 0 to 2, whose families were registered with DDSS, did not use child safety seats. The families surveyed were low-income, making it difficult for these families to purchase child safety seats. In addition, many of the families needed education in the correct use of child safety seats and other occupant protection devices. Many of the families were non-English speaking, indicating a need for bilingual safety education.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goal of the Car Seat Loaner and Safety Belt Education Program was to increase the use of child safety seats and other occupant protection devices throughout the metropolitan Denver area. Objectives of the program included:

• Provide child safety seats to low-income, DDSS-registered families with children
• Provide occupant protection education to the families receiving the child safety seats
• Educate non-English speaking, DDSS-registered families about occupant protection

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
In 1993, the Denver Department of Social Services developed the Car Seat Loaner and Safety Belt Education Program for the benefit of DDSS-registered families with children and other DDSS clients who were motor vehicle operators. From 1993 until 1996, DDSS successfully ran a program that annually supplied low-income families with child safety seats, and provided occupant safety education to more than 15,000 other DDSS clients. A special program was developed to provide education to non-English speaking DDSS clients, and DDSS staff provided education and training to schools and businesses, and assisted at car seat checkpoints.

The Car Seat Loaner and Safety Belt Education Program was financed from 1993 through 1996 with Section 402 funds provided by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). In 1996, in keeping with the original implementation plan for the Program, DDSS established a new non-profit organization, Safety Education and Training Saves Lives (S.E.A.T.S.) for Kids, as the new vehicle that would ensure self- sufficiency for the program. This organization was comprised of a working Board of Directors, whose membership included representatives of successful businesses in the metropolitan Denver community.

Through the new S.E.A.T.S. for Kids organization, DDSS has continued and expanded its services to include other organizations, throughout the state, serving low-income families with children. At the end of 1997, 1,320 child safety seats had been shared with other non-profit organizations in 30 of Colorado's 63 counties (an additional 250 seats are in the pipeline). The DDSS Safety Education Specialist, who also serves as the Administrator for the S.E.A.T.S. for Kids Program, has been able to expand outreach efforts to other hard-to-reach and at risk groups, including special needs children, parenting teens, and foster grandparents.