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In 2007 the Injury Free Coalition for Kids of Hartford engaged in the activities described below reaching more than 1500 children in the City of Hartford, providing direct education to more than 150 parents, and providing over 700 safety items and devices (such as bike helmets, cabinet locks, bath thermometers, and home safety kits) to families in the city.

Pedestrian Safety: This program target children in   Pre-K thru 3rd grade. Children learn about traffic signals, crosswalks and crosswalk signs, and road rules. Children are given the opportunity to practice crossing the street using a portable street scene set up for each session. The following agencies benefited from this program in 2007: Dwight School, Naylor School, Asylum Hill Boys and Girls Club, CRT- Locust street, CRT- Windsor Street, CRT- Douglas Street, CRT- Rawson School, and CRT- Milner School.

Bike Safety: This program has two different components. The first is basic brain injury education and the second is providing helmets at low cost. Our target population for this program is elementary school aged children and their parents. The following community partners benefited from this program in 2007: Dwight School, Sanchez School, Paraiso Infantil, Charter Oak Health Center, Community Health Services, City of Hartford grand parents program, University of Hartford Magnet School, Asylum Hill Boys and Girls Club, Y-US and Parkville School.

Child Passenger Safety: Education on choosing the correct car or booster seat and the importance of a properly installed seat is the core of this program. Teaming up with Safe Kids Connecticut we were able to offer booster seat education and giveaways. The following partners benefited from this opportunity in 2007: Sanchez School, My Sister’s Place, Family Life Education, CREC, and Mi Casa Family Center.

Home Safety: Home safety education is provided for parents along with selected home safety items e.g., outlet covers, safety gates, corner cushions, window stops and others. The following partners participated in 2007: Billings Forge Community Center, Mi Casa Family Center, Trust House, Family Life Education, and My Sister’s Place.

Summer/Winter/Holiday Safety: This program includes three different safety topics: water safety, bike safety and pedestrian safety. Children of all ages play the “What’s a risk?” game and identify what is a risky behavior and why. The following partners utilized this program in 2007: Sanchez School, Asylum Hill Boys and Girls Club, Camp Courant, Mi Casa Family Center, Hartford Public Library, and YWLC.

Halloween Safety (Pedestrian & Poison Safety): Topics of this program include Pedestrian Safety and Poison Safety. Children of all ages discuss important rules of how to cross the street and play the pick the poison game. Hartford Public Library, Asylum Hill Boys and Girls Club, and Kennelly School were all participants of the program in 2007.

Parent Education “Dealing with difficult behavior in young children”: Using guidelines and advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Connected Kids program, staff lead discussion groups of parents using real life examples to work out solutions to dealing with difficult behavior in young children. Throughout 2007 and 2008, Injury Free Coalition for Kids of Hartford will be offering such sessions to any interested community group or school.

Safety Educator Project: This project targets youth ages 12-18. Youth are trained to conduct safety presentations and learn about how injuries occur and how they can be prevented. After successfully completing their training the youth are able to conduct their own safety presentations to younger children who participate in programs of the associated community based agency. The following community partners participated in this program in 2007: Asylum Hill Boys and Girls Club, Camp Courant, Mi Casa Family Center, and Young Women’s Leadership Corp @YWCA.

Youth Injury Research: Students learn about injury and safety statistics and how to prevent injuries. Students developed questions that they used to survey their neighbors about safety issues, using these answers to assess their needs. Home safety materials and helmets were provided as needed. Billings Forge Community Center, Mi Casa Family Center and YWLC were participants in this program in 2007.

Connecticut Teen Driving Safety Partnership: Click here for the partnership website The injury Free Coalition for Kids of Hartford leads a partnership whose mission is to reduce the number of teenage fatalities due to car crashes. The partnership includes The Injury Free Coalition for Kids of Hartford at Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Connecticut Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Connecticut Academy of Family Physicians, Mourning Parents Act (!MPACT), the Department of Motor Vehicles, and The Allstate Foundation. This year-long initiative will provide a package of teen driver safety materials to doctors across the state for use in counseling teens and their parents.