Why Child Safety Networks?

Childhood injuries are the leading cause of death of young children - and almost all childhood injuries are preventable. Solving this problem requires professionals dedicated to safety education, product/traffic engineering, and the strict enforcement of safety laws. In the south San Joaquin Valley, a network of safety advocates works to provide that education and enforcement, and to advocate for effective and easy to use safety equipment and safe environments for children, In a rural, agricultural environment families travel between communities and across law enforcement jurisdictions frequently. With a large concentration of families living in poverty, we need resources for education and safety equipment, and that need crosses the geographic limits of individual communities. As a network we can have access to funding and continuing education as well as the ability to develop high quality programs that do to
duplicate services or overlap. A network provides a variety of cultural, economic, and professional viewpoints and expertise-making our services more relevant, accessible, and effective.

Who's involved in Child Safety in the south valley?

The network is "hosted" by the Tulare Police Department, and is open to any person with an interest in child safety. Our network has members representing health care, law enforcement, child passenger safety, Parks and Recreation, early childhood education, public schools, and politics. We also invite insurance companies, parents, and businesses and employers to join us. We're calling on the communities in Kings, Tulare, north Kern and southern Fresno County to be a part of the network.

What are we doing in the south valley?

We're making great progress with programs targeted to child passenger safety, gun safety, drowning prevention, and bike/pedestrian safety projects. There are more than 30 certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians and one Technician Instructor in this area. We have several gun safety projects, a Drowning Prevention Program, and several bike/pedestrian safety projects already underway - and some are expanding. We have been able to increase funding for programs with State and local funds, as well as private foundation funding. We've increased awareness of child safety laws, provided thousands of free child safety seats and bike helmets to low income families, and enforced child safety laws with legal sanctions and mandatory safety education.