“If a disease were killing our children at the rate unintentional injuries are, the public would demand that this killer be stopped.”         -Former Surgeon General and National SAFE KIDS Campaign Chairman,  C. Everett Koop, M.D., Sc.D.

  • Everyday I send more than 39,000 kids to visit the hospital.

  • I really like to play in the months of May-August.

  • I don’t discriminate based on age, gender, race or socioeconomic status.

  • I’m the leading cause of death in children ages 14 and under in the United States.

  • Ninety percent of time I can be prevented.

What am I? I’m unintentional injury.


Each year, injuries to children ages 14 and under result in 213,000 hospitalizations, nearly 7,900,000 emergency room visits and more than 11,000,000 visits to physicians’ offices.* Among children 14 years and under, treatment for injury is the second leading cause of hospitalization and the leading cause of visits to the emergency room.

The Center for Childhood Safety, Inc. is reaching out to the community to prevent unintentional injuries in our children. As the lead organization for SAFE KIDS Greater Green Bay , the Center works with a variety of local law enforcement, health care and social service agencies to promote, support, endorse and conduct educational initiatives focusing on reducing preventable childhood injuries that may lead to disabilities and death.

Nationwide, efforts like those undertaken by the Center for Childhood Safety have helped reduce the incidents of death from unintentional injuries by over 40 percent in the last fifteen years, but we haven’t won the war. Unintentional injuries continue to be the number one killer of kids ages 14 and under in the United States, and at the Center for Childhood Safety, Inc. and SAFE KIDS Greater Green Bay, prevention is the cure.

Included here are the programs offered through the Center for Childhood Safety.


SAFE KIDS GREATER GREEN BAY COALITION

The Center for Childhood Safety, Inc. (CCS) is the lead agency for the SAFE KIDS Greater Green Bay Coalition, and as such, is responsible for recruitment of members to the coalition and the coordination of all meetings, mailing, correspondence and events on behalf of the coalition. Annually, coalition members participate in a variety of special events, with the most visible being the Super Bowl of Safety, held each January on the Saturday prior to Super Bowl weekend. The CCS also acts as a clearinghouse for safety related information. By calling CCS, community members will be directed to the agency that can best meet their program needs. SAFE KIDS Greater Green Bay is one of over 300 member coalitions that make up SAFE KIDS-USA, a member nation of SAFE KIDS Worldwide.


SAFETY TOWN

SAFETY TOWN is a 15-hour summer safety camp, where four through six year olds learn safety procedures through their own involvement. Under the guidance of a licensed elementary school teacher, students work in teen led small groups to practice and experience "real life" situations before they are confronted with them on their own. With the help of trained safety professionals from throughout the community, children are taught to evaluate "safe from unsafe" and learn how to react safely when confronted with potentially dangerous situations. This interactive program offers children a classroom segment, as well as a hands-on experience on the streets of the specially designed, child sized SAFETY TOWN. SAFETY TOWN is held June–July and is housed at Howe School. There is a fee to participate in SAFETY TOWN, call the Center at 920-448-7136 for details. Scholarships are available, with an agency referral, for those in greatest need.


SAFE KIDS BUCKLE UP/ CCS OFFICE CAR SEAT CHECKS

As the lead agency for the SAFE KIDS Greater Green Bay, the Center for Childhood Safety plans, promotes and recruits CPS technicians, to hold monthly car seat safety checks at area car dealers, and local businesses throughout the greater Green Bay area. Child Passenger Safety is a large part of the CCS program based on the fact that motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer and injurer of kids in the US, and because statistics continue to show that four out of five car seats are installed incorrectly. Trained technicians are taught to spot installation problems and work with parents to correct them. For the past 9 years, CCS has been hosted the NHTSA training to certify Child Passenger Safety technicians in our area. To date, over 100 area professionals have been trained here in Green Bay. Annually, approximately 2,500 seats are checked through this program at various locations throughout the region. There is a fee for checks done by appointment at the CCS offices, while community checks are available free of charge. For information on seat checks in the region see the car seat check listing on this website or call the Center for Childhood Safety at 920-448-7135.

Checks take an average of 45 minutes to one hour in a vehicle with one safety seat. When a parent/caregiver arrives with the seat, they complete an assessment form giving us permission to inspect and recommend corrections for proper seat usage. The seat is assessed for age, structural integrity, recalls and proper fit of the child in the seat and the seat in the vehicle. Statistics locally mirror those nationally, with four out of five seats installed incorrectly. After assessing the seat and vehicle, the seat is reinstalled with the help of the parent/caregiver and education takes place to assure they are clear on installation if they need to reinstall the seat at a later date. Right now, without any promotion of the program, we check approximately 75 to 100 seats through this program each year.


BIKE RODEOS/HELMET GIVEAWAYS AND FITTINGS

CCS remains true to its original mission of providing bike helmets and bike/pedestrian safety education, by participating in a variety of community events each year. Introducing proper helmet-wearing habits at an early age lays a strong foundation for future helmet use. Working within the schools, the parks and through various events in the community, CCS has put helmets on the heads of over 10,000 area children over the past 17 years. Helmets are available for purchase, by appointment at the CCS offices throughout the year. Styles are limited. Call 920-448-7135 to inquire.


SPECIAL EVENTS

Annually, the Center for Childhood Safety participates in a variety of special events within the community. Examples of events include: Super Bowl of Safety, Big Event for Little Kids, and McGruff Fest, just to name a few. We are also invited to participate in a variety of health fairs throughout the community and we take advantage of as many as possible to get our name out. In the last year, we have also participated in several outside of Green Bay, but still in what we consider our service area.