Grant provided by California Office of Traffic Safety for Child Passenger Safety Education Program

Contra Costa County, California – With the support of a $90,300 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, the Contra Costa Health Services Public Health Nursing Car Seat Project will assist parents and caregivers in keeping their children as safe as possible in the vehicle.

The one-year funding, which runs from Oct. 1, 2021, to Sept. 30, 2022, supports a Child Passenger Safety Technician and a car seat education program that promotes appropriate child safety seat installation and usage.

The following activities are supported by the grant:

• One-on-one/virtual appointments to inspect and install car seats.
• Child safety seat education classes for parents and caregivers.
• Child safety seats at no-cost to nursing case management clients and low-income families following education classes.
• Promote safety seat recycling and importance of discarding used and expired car seats
• Work with community partners to promote child passenger safety education.

“The OTS grant funding is critical in helping families, caregivers and education professionals keep children safe. Protecting children is everyone’s top priority, and properly secured car seats are one significant way to prevent harm to children in the event of a crash,” the program manager for CCHS, Michelle Rivero, said.

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