Safe Kids Connecticut
In 1993, we initiated Safe Kids Connecticut, as part of a national campaign to reduce childhood injury. We now have over 300 member organizations and 500 individual members from across the state, including police, firefighters, public health officials, educators and parents. Our state coalition is organized into six local chapters and one county coalition. With support from the Connecticut Elks Association, Safe Kids Connecticut regularly holds child passenger safety events statewide, including car seat clinics, car seat technician classes, booster seat education and giveaway events, and educational presentations. Safe Kids Connecticut also holds bicycle safety events, distributes smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, distributes educational information, hosts injury prevention meetings, and presents at statewide injury prevention conferences. In addition, the program maintains an active website, manages two listserves, and serves as a resource for injury prevention professionals statewide.
Child Passenger Safety
The IPC seeks to ensure that every ride in a motor vehicle is a safe ride. Several IPC team members are certified National Child Passenger Safety Technicians. They provide expert advice, education, training, informational materials and resources to parents and community-based organizations. IPC team members conduct monthly car seat check events. In addition, the IPC supports child passenger safety at Hartford Hospital’s Newborn Nursery and Connecticut Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Teen Driving Safety
The IPC has a number of partners who work to keep teens safe behind the wheel. Together, these partners meet as an informal association known as the Connecticut Teen Driving Safety Partnership. To learn more about this work, please visit SafeKids: Safe Teen Driving.
Bike/Pedestrian Safety
Through the generous support of the Connecticut Elks’ Association for Safe Kids Connecticut, the IPC is able to reach out to the community with direct safety education. With the support of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, the IPC implements Watch for Me CT, a safety campaign that includes media advertisements on television, radio, and the internet that address how to stay safe while biking or walking on Connecticut’s roads and sidewalks.
Hospital-based Violence Intervention Program (HVIP)
In 2021, Connecticut Children’s joined Hartford Communities That Care (HCTC), St. Francis/Trinity Health, COMPASS Youth Collaborative, Mothers United Against Violence, and Hartford Hospital in developing a collaborative partnership to strengthen the existing violence intervention and prevention efforts in the City of Hartford. In early 2022, Connecticut Children’s hired its first HVIP Specialist to better serve patients and families affected by violence and to act as a liaison with our community partners. The City of Hartford, Office of the Mayor, is also a key partner in these efforts.
Super Safe Comics
Super Safe Comics is an educational series focused on safety and injury prevention for children and families. The 16-page comic books are for children from kindergarten through fourth grade. Each issue features Captain Super Safe and his friends as they tackle safety issues including bicycle and helmet safety, pedestrian safety, dog bite prevention, water safety, fire safety, and concussion education. The series is written by Kevin Borrup, DrPH, JD, MPA, and illustrated by Scott DaRos and Alexis Deprey.
Community Violence Intervention Grants
Under the support of and in partnership the Connecticut Department of Public Health and in collaboration with the Commission on Gun Violence, community violence intervention grants are available from the Injury Prevention Center. View the latest RFP for 2024 here.