By: Amy Watkins, MPH

Injuries are the leading cause of death for children in the United States, however nearly all of them can be prevented. For more than 20 years, Connecticut Children’s and Safe Kids Connecticut have hosted Safe Kids Day, a unique day aimed at raising awareness and keeping children safe from injury.

The event, sponsored by the Connecticut Elks Association, took place on Friday, June 4, 2021 at Burns Elementary School in Hartford. It brought together about 125 children in grades pre-K through 3 who are students at the school. They learned all sorts of safety tips while rotating between 10 interactive stations. Topics covered during the event included bicycle safety, fire safety, road safety, pedestrian safety, water safety, hot car safety, healthy nutrition and protecting hearing from loud noises. The children learned how devastating motor vehicle crashes can by by watching a simulator, explored a fire truck and ambulance, and were able to meet and pet a K-9 officer.

Participating organizations included the Hartford Police Department, the Hartford Fire Department, the Connecticut State Police, the Connecticut Department of Transportation, the Hispanic Health Council, Connecticut Children’s Audiology Department, the Watch for Me CT program, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Boating Division and American Ambulance. In addition, the Connecticut Elks Association and Compass provided volunteers to help run the event.

Read additional tips from our injury prevention experts.

Every year, Safe Kids Day provides a fun way for children to learn how they can stay safe not only during the busy summer months, but also throughout the year. We are so grateful to the Connecticut Elks Association for their ongoing support of this program and injury prevention efforts benefitting children across the state.

We hope that families throughout the state can learn from the Safe Kids Day event, even if their children did not directly participate. We also want to make sure families can access additional resources. Learn how to stay safe this summer and beyond by visiting Connecticut Children’s Growing Healthy blog and Safe Kids’ website . Also, get tips on being safe near water and how to avoid playground injuries.

Amy Watkins, MPH, is the director of Safe Kids Connecticut, which is a program of Connecticut Children’s Injury Prevention Center.

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