August 2020: Back to School
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School districts across the country are making difficult decisions about the upcoming school year, and parents are waiting hear about where their child will be spending their school day. Whether your child will be attending school in person, at home, or a combination of the two, staying injury-free and healthy is the goal. We have put together a few resources to keep your child safe while learning, whether they are at school or at home.
At School
Children get to school differently. Here are some resources if your kid is a walker, a biker, a bus rider, or rides in the car with you.
Safety tips for kids walking to school – Children’s Health
Teen Pedestrian Safety toolkit
Helping your child be a safe bicyclist – Walk & Bike to School
School Bus Safety – Safe Kids Worldwide
Distracted Driving toolkit
Make sure their backpack is the right size and weight to prevent back injuries, dress them for success on the playground, and remind them to play safely during recess.
Backpack Safety – HealthyChildren.org
Playground Safety: What Parents Need to Know – Children’s Wisconsin
In the Home
If your child will be staying at home during the week, it’s important to make sure that your home is a safe and healthy learning environment.
Home Safety Checklist – Safe Kids Worldwide
Home Safety for Teens – Safe Kids Worldwide
Make Safe Happen App – Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Lastly, we acknowledge that the stress of adapting to a new schedule, learning online, and following safety precautions against COVID-19 can take a toll on your child’s mental health. Here is a great resource that provides helpful tips on having difficult conversations with your child if they are struggling.
Quick Tip
This year, some school sports teams and recreation leagues are requiring players to bring their own water bottles to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Make sure that your athlete has their own water bottle before sending them off to practice and games. Write your child’s name on the bottle and consider putting brightly colored tape, ribbons, or stickers on it so that it can be easily found on the sidelines.
Take Action
Every month, we are promoting a new action that each family can take to keep their children safer while social distancing. This month, we want every family to check the list of recalled hand sanitizers and stay up-to-date on future recalls for hand sanitizer products.
Recently, the FDA has been recalling and issuing warnings on several hand sanitizer brands due to them containing methanol. Methanol can be toxic when absorbed through the skin and deadly if swallowed. Click here to view the list of recalled products.
Follow along every month for a new action, and share with us how you're preventing child injury in your home!
Free Prevent Child Injury Pin
We are rewarding all of our members with a free Prevent Child Injury pin! If you’d like to receive a pin, please fill out this form and we will mail it to you. Your mailing address will be used for sending your pin only. If you have any questions or issues filling out the form, please email us at info@preventchildinjury.org.
Contest Winners
We have selected our contest winners! Congratulations to the following individuals:
Heather Hudson, for incorporating Prevent Child Injury into her curriculum
Lauren Willis, Rebecca Kinard, Christy Wald, and Sarah Hartwig, for their creative social media graphics
Mary Richardson, for filming a summer safety video for her students using tips from our toolkits
Thank you to all of you who entered, and congratulations to the winners!
Coming Up
On Our Twitter Calendar
August 3 - 9: Children’s Eye Health & Safety Month
August 10 - 16: Pedestrian Safety and Safe Routes to School
August 17 - 23: Back to School Safety; School Zone Safety
August 24 - 30: Safety Around Animals
Events
Join Kids in Danger for their second Best Friend Award Conversation with KID on Wednesday, August 5, 2020, from 6:00pm - 6:45pm Central. KID Executive Director Nancy Cowles will discuss children's product safety legislative achievements and the current regulatory environment with U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (IL-9) and Remington Gregg, Counsel for Civil Justice and Consumer Rights of Public Citizen. Rep. Schakowsky and Remington Gregg are fierce advocates for children's product safety, and Rep. Schakowsky is a previous Best Friend Award honoree. Register for the event here.
Thank You Notes
Thank you to all who participated in our membership drive last month! We have so many new members of Prevent Child Injury, and we could not have achieved our goal without your help. Even though the drive is over, please continue referring others to become members of our coalition. We appreciate all of the hard work that you do to keep your communities safer.