San Diego County Government: County Receives Grant For Child Safety Seat Education Program

Press release from the San Diego County Government:

José A. Álvarez

2021-11-15

The County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) has received a state grant to educate parents and caregivers on how to properly secure children in a safety seat.

The $249,999 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) will pay for a variety of community outreach events, education classes and training on the installation and use of child safety seats.

The car seat safety program includes:

• Child safety seat inspection events and education classes.
• Child safety seats at no-cost to low-income families following education classes.
• Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) training, CPST certification courses.
• Work with community partners to promote child passenger safety education.
• Collaborate with law enforcement to increase occupant protection awareness.
• Partnering with local organizations on car seat safety community outreach efforts in underserved communities.

The program runs through September 2022.

“Helping families, caregivers and education professionals to keep children safe is critical,” said Barbara Jiménez Barbara Jiménez, chief operations officer for HHSA’s Department of Homeless Solutions and Equitable Communities. “Protecting San Diego children is one of our top priorities, and properly secured car seats are are the best way to prevent harm to them in the event of a crash.”

“Like seat belts for teens and adults, correctly installed car seats are the best protection for children while they are traveling,” OTS Director Barbara Rooney said. “Car seat programs are an important traffic safety ally.”

This safety campaign aligns with Live Well San Diego, the County’s vision for healthy, safe and thriving residents and communities.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

For more information, contact Noemi Dueñas, 858-621-2313 ext. 114, at Pacific Safety Center.

This press release was produced by the San Diego County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.