Good Morning fellow Kiwanians!
Fact: Every year 60% of drownings occur in rural lakes, ponds and gravel pits.
Fact: Preventable injury is the number one killer of children in most developed countries.
Fact: In a single year more than 14 million children in the U.S. are injured seriously enough to require medical treatment.
Fact: Heat is much more dangerous to children than it is to adults. When left in a hot vehicle, a young child’s core body temperature can increase three to five times faster than that of an adult, which can cause permanent injury or even death. (“Children In And Around Cars” www.safekids.org)
SAFETY AND PEDIATRIC TRAUMA
It only takes one accident to permanently injure or kill a child. That is why parents and children need safety education. In the United States alone, several thousand children age 4 and under die each year because of accidental injuries. Forty-five times that number are hospitalized. The leading causes of death for children 1 to 4 years old are motor vehicles, fires/ burns, drowning, choking, poisonings and falls. When a serious accident does occur, special expertise and equipment may be needed to save the child’s life. That is why a pediatric trauma center should be linked to every community. Now that summer is quickly approaching, there are many potential projects that can be done to educate the public and help prevent injuries while kids are enjoying their summer vacation.
CAR SAFTEY IN AND AROUND CARS
Nearly 10% of motor vehicle related deaths DO NOT occur on public highways or in vehicular accidents or traffic, but happen in parking lots, driveways or when children are left unattended in vehicles. This is a serious public health issue and these deaths are totally preventable.
NEVER LEAVE A CHILD ALONE IN OR NEAR A CAR
From 1998 to 2010, more than 494 children – most of them 2 years old and younger – died from heat stroke after being left or becoming trapped in a car.
These deaths fall into three main categories: children who were trapped while playing in a vehicle without supervision; children who were accidentally left behind; and children who were intentionally left alone in a car.
Leaving a child in a vehicle for a “quick” errand is a huge mistake. A delay of just a few minutes on a warm day can lead to tragedy.
SPOT THE TOT
Each year almost 2,500 children ages 1 to 14 go to emergency rooms with injuries sustained from a vehicle backing up. On average, another 230 kids in that same age group die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Danger can come from any direction, and children should never play in driveways, in parking lots or on sidewalks when vehicles are present.
PREVENTING TRUNK ENTRAPMENT
For many kids, a car trunk looks like a fun place to play or hide. Tragically, many families have discovered that kids can get in but they can’t always get out. A trunk can be deadly for an unattended child.
Children can access trunks in several ways, even without having the vehicle’s keys. Most cars have a lever or button located near the driver’s seat that pops the trunk open, while other cars also have fold-down seats or a “pass through” that enables children to climb into the trunk from the back seat. Always lock all vehicle doors.
For more information, a brochure and checklist for parents, go to
www.safekids.org
Kiwanis Clubs can help by increasing public awareness of problems of children and car safety
– distribute information at grocery stores, to childcare centers, pediatrician’s offices etc.
The flowing brochures are available from KPTI(Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Institute at Tufts Hospital, Boston)
HOME SAFETY CHECKLIST
The Home Safety Checklist Brochure is designed to help protect family members from unintentional injuries. It is designed to be an easy room-to-room survey that will quickly point out dangers that need to be changed immediately. It covers the kitchen, basement and garages, outdoor play areas, bathroom, child’s bedroom, play areas, windows, stairs and railings, electrical outlets, and fixtures, and general living areas.
WHAT CAN KIWANIS CLUBS DO?
Distribute this brochure to Pediatricians, Clinics, Day Care Center, Health Fairs, Pre-school Programs, Health Department, Hospitals that offer Prenatal Classes or New Mom Classes.
OPEN WATER SAFETY
This brochure covers tips for open water safety: never swim in drainage ditches, what to do in an emergency situation if a child is struggling in the water or if a child is unconscious in the water etc.
WHAT CAN KIWANIS CLUBS DO?
Distribute this brochure to schools, day care centers, Fire/Police Departments, Fishing Derby, any organized family day sponsored by Kiwanis, pool supply stores, public beach concession stands.
SET UP A CAR SEAT PROGRAM
Kiwanis clubs can make sure that safety seats are available to everyone in the community by setting up a car seat loan program. This involves purchasing or securing donations of new car seats, establishing a location (car dealership, hospital, police station) from which the seats will be loaned or given, establishing the criteria for providing a seat to a family and making sure the people handing out the car seats have the training to install them
SMOKE ALARM SAFETY
One-third of the smoke detectors installed in houses don’t work. If a fire occurs, they won’t make a sound, because most smoke alarms still contain their original batteries. A simple project can solve this problem: an annual campaign for everyone to check the batteries in their smoke detectors. This can involve ads in the local paper or distribution of fliers. This campaign can be expanded to include distribution of batteries and smoke detectors in neighborhoods
The American Red Cross offers a FREE Program …installation of smoke detectors (free) in your home, will check batteries in existing smoke detectors, replace batteries if needed, and help families create an escape plan.
For more information: www.redcross.org
Other safety brochures available from KPTI
- Window Safety
- Summer Safety
- Pedestrian Safety
- Water Safety
- Holiday/Winter Safety
- Fire Safety
- After School Safety
- Poison Information
- Car Safety In And Around Cars
SUPPORT A PEDIATRIC TRAUMA PROGRAM
KIWANIS PEDIATRIC TRAUMA INSTITUTE (KPTI) is supported by the Kiwanis Foundation of New England and other sponsors. Materials are available from KPTI which deal with prevention.
I hope there is at least one project that motivates you to do more for our children to promote safety in our communities. Imagine the lives and money we could save by promoting prevention education to parents and families. With the high cost of hospitalization, insurance and emergency room care today in the U.S. we could all do our part to educate parents to keep their children safe and possibly lower rising health care costs.
Please remember that without the support of the Kiwanis Foundation of New England , the Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Center Programs could not function.
I hope your Club will consider making a donation to the KFNE, and if you wish the money to go to KPTI you can indicate “KPTI” on the memo line of your check. Kiwanis Clubs need to support these programs if we wish them to continue.
Kiwanis Foundation of a New England
P.O. Box 50891
New Bedford, MA. 02745
Sincerely,
Ava Adams, District Chair
Young Children Committee
Member, Kiwanis International Committee on Young Children
New England and Bermuda District
email: [email protected]
Posted: May 5, 2021 by aadams
May 2021 Young Children Newsletter
Good Morning fellow Kiwanians!
Fact: Every year 60% of drownings occur in rural lakes, ponds and gravel pits.
Fact: Preventable injury is the number one killer of children in most developed countries.
Fact: In a single year more than 14 million children in the U.S. are injured seriously enough to require medical treatment.
Fact: Heat is much more dangerous to children than it is to adults. When left in a hot vehicle, a young child’s core body temperature can increase three to five times faster than that of an adult, which can cause permanent injury or even death. (“Children In And Around Cars” www.safekids.org)
SAFETY AND PEDIATRIC TRAUMA
It only takes one accident to permanently injure or kill a child. That is why parents and children need safety education. In the United States alone, several thousand children age 4 and under die each year because of accidental injuries. Forty-five times that number are hospitalized. The leading causes of death for children 1 to 4 years old are motor vehicles, fires/ burns, drowning, choking, poisonings and falls. When a serious accident does occur, special expertise and equipment may be needed to save the child’s life. That is why a pediatric trauma center should be linked to every community. Now that summer is quickly approaching, there are many potential projects that can be done to educate the public and help prevent injuries while kids are enjoying their summer vacation.
CAR SAFTEY IN AND AROUND CARS
Nearly 10% of motor vehicle related deaths DO NOT occur on public highways or in vehicular accidents or traffic, but happen in parking lots, driveways or when children are left unattended in vehicles. This is a serious public health issue and these deaths are totally preventable.
NEVER LEAVE A CHILD ALONE IN OR NEAR A CAR
From 1998 to 2010, more than 494 children – most of them 2 years old and younger – died from heat stroke after being left or becoming trapped in a car.
These deaths fall into three main categories: children who were trapped while playing in a vehicle without supervision; children who were accidentally left behind; and children who were intentionally left alone in a car.
Leaving a child in a vehicle for a “quick” errand is a huge mistake. A delay of just a few minutes on a warm day can lead to tragedy.
SPOT THE TOT
Each year almost 2,500 children ages 1 to 14 go to emergency rooms with injuries sustained from a vehicle backing up. On average, another 230 kids in that same age group die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Danger can come from any direction, and children should never play in driveways, in parking lots or on sidewalks when vehicles are present.
PREVENTING TRUNK ENTRAPMENT
For many kids, a car trunk looks like a fun place to play or hide. Tragically, many families have discovered that kids can get in but they can’t always get out. A trunk can be deadly for an unattended child.
Children can access trunks in several ways, even without having the vehicle’s keys. Most cars have a lever or button located near the driver’s seat that pops the trunk open, while other cars also have fold-down seats or a “pass through” that enables children to climb into the trunk from the back seat. Always lock all vehicle doors.
For more information, a brochure and checklist for parents, go to
www.safekids.org
Kiwanis Clubs can help by increasing public awareness of problems of children and car safety
– distribute information at grocery stores, to childcare centers, pediatrician’s offices etc.
The flowing brochures are available from KPTI(Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Institute at Tufts Hospital, Boston)
HOME SAFETY CHECKLIST
The Home Safety Checklist Brochure is designed to help protect family members from unintentional injuries. It is designed to be an easy room-to-room survey that will quickly point out dangers that need to be changed immediately. It covers the kitchen, basement and garages, outdoor play areas, bathroom, child’s bedroom, play areas, windows, stairs and railings, electrical outlets, and fixtures, and general living areas.
WHAT CAN KIWANIS CLUBS DO?
Distribute this brochure to Pediatricians, Clinics, Day Care Center, Health Fairs, Pre-school Programs, Health Department, Hospitals that offer Prenatal Classes or New Mom Classes.
OPEN WATER SAFETY
This brochure covers tips for open water safety: never swim in drainage ditches, what to do in an emergency situation if a child is struggling in the water or if a child is unconscious in the water etc.
WHAT CAN KIWANIS CLUBS DO?
Distribute this brochure to schools, day care centers, Fire/Police Departments, Fishing Derby, any organized family day sponsored by Kiwanis, pool supply stores, public beach concession stands.
SET UP A CAR SEAT PROGRAM
Kiwanis clubs can make sure that safety seats are available to everyone in the community by setting up a car seat loan program. This involves purchasing or securing donations of new car seats, establishing a location (car dealership, hospital, police station) from which the seats will be loaned or given, establishing the criteria for providing a seat to a family and making sure the people handing out the car seats have the training to install them
SMOKE ALARM SAFETY
One-third of the smoke detectors installed in houses don’t work. If a fire occurs, they won’t make a sound, because most smoke alarms still contain their original batteries. A simple project can solve this problem: an annual campaign for everyone to check the batteries in their smoke detectors. This can involve ads in the local paper or distribution of fliers. This campaign can be expanded to include distribution of batteries and smoke detectors in neighborhoods
The American Red Cross offers a FREE Program …installation of smoke detectors (free) in your home, will check batteries in existing smoke detectors, replace batteries if needed, and help families create an escape plan.
For more information: www.redcross.org
Other safety brochures available from KPTI
SUPPORT A PEDIATRIC TRAUMA PROGRAM
KIWANIS PEDIATRIC TRAUMA INSTITUTE (KPTI) is supported by the Kiwanis Foundation of New England and other sponsors. Materials are available from KPTI which deal with prevention.
I hope there is at least one project that motivates you to do more for our children to promote safety in our communities. Imagine the lives and money we could save by promoting prevention education to parents and families. With the high cost of hospitalization, insurance and emergency room care today in the U.S. we could all do our part to educate parents to keep their children safe and possibly lower rising health care costs.
Please remember that without the support of the Kiwanis Foundation of New England , the Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Center Programs could not function.
I hope your Club will consider making a donation to the KFNE, and if you wish the money to go to KPTI you can indicate “KPTI” on the memo line of your check. Kiwanis Clubs need to support these programs if we wish them to continue.
Kiwanis Foundation of a New England
P.O. Box 50891
New Bedford, MA. 02745
Sincerely,
Ava Adams, District Chair
Young Children Committee
Member, Kiwanis International Committee on Young Children
New England and Bermuda District
email: [email protected]
Category: Young Children Newsletter
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