New Strategic Plan from Safe Kids Worldwide

On By Safe Kids Northern ColoradoIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

This year our parent organization, Safe Kids Worldwide, has released their next two year strategic plan. Their main focuses are going to be on child passenger safety, water safety and infant safe sleep. While these are going to be the main focuses, the will still be supporting other injury prevention areas as well. With this new plan comes some exciting changes including an updated mission and vision to better reflect their commitment to looking at all work being done through an equitable lens and focusing on groups that are marginalized and underserved.

These are important updates that we as Safe Kids Larimer County align with and you will see the updated Mission and Vision on our About Us page. We are looking forward to the resources, research and advocacy that will be done at the federal level through Safe Kids Worldwide that will trickle down to our local coalition.

To read the updated strategic plan, click here. You can visit safekids.org to learn more about their large scale work.

Safe Kids Worldwide & Everytown’s Be SMART Program Partner to Promote Secure Firearm Storage

On By Safe Kids Northern ColoradoIn firearm safety, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Below is the press release shared on November 17, 2022 from Safe Kids Worldwide on an exciting new partnership!

Be SMART and Safe Kids Worldwide Announce Partnership Designed to Educate People About the Dangers of Unsecured Firearms Ahead of Tomorrow’s National Injury Prevention Day


NEW YORK — Today, Safe Kids Worldwide and Be SMART, a national campaign of Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, announced a partnership designed to educate parents and other adults about the importance of secure firearm storage. The partnership, which affirms a shared commitment to promote secure firearm storage as a crucial component of child safety, comes in advance of tomorrow’s National Injury Prevention Day, a day that raises awareness about preventing injuries among children and the fight to end gun violence.

“National Injury Prevention Day serves as a solemn reminder of the responsibility we have as adults to ensure that our communities are safe from gun violence,” said Dr. Kelsey Gastineau, a pediatrics specialist and Be SMART advocate in Tennessee. “Through basic gun safety measures, we can prevent tragedy in our homes, neighborhoods, and schools. We’re proud that Safe Kids, a strong partner in the injury prevention space, is standing with us and recognizes the critical importance of secure firearm storage.”

“Three out of four children living in a house with a gun know where the gun is, even when their parents think they don’t know,” said Torine Creppy, president of Safe Kids Worldwide. “It is an esteemed honor to partner Everytown for Gun Safety and the Be Smart program to educate families and communities about the critical importance of the safe storage of firearms.”

“Gun violence is the leading killer of our children and teens, but so many of these senseless tragedies are preventable through prevention of easy access to firearms,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action. “Making sure parents and gun owners are having these conversations and practicing responsible gun ownership — including securing firearms unloaded, locked, and separate from ammunition — saves lives.”

Together, intentional and unintentional firearm injuries are the leading cause of death among kids ages 1-17. Throughout the U.S., an estimated 13 million households with children under the age of 18 contain at least one gun. Not all of these firearms are stored securely: approximately 4.6 million children live in a household with at least one loaded and unlocked gun.


An overwhelming majority of unintentional shootings by children could have been prevented had the gun not been accessible, which means making sure guns are always inaccessible to kids and unauthorized users. Gun owners can make their families, homes, and communities safer by storing their guns securely — unloaded, locked, and separated from ammunition.


The Be SMART program asks parents and caretakers, gun owners and non-gun owners alike, to
‘Be SMART’ and take these simple steps:
● Secure all guns in their home and vehicles
● Model responsible behavior around guns
● Ask about the presence of unsecured guns in other homes
● Recognize the role of guns in suicide
● Tell your peers to be SMART
For more information on the Be SMART program and how to securely store your firearms, visit BeSMARTforKids.org. To request materials or local presentations, use the “Connect with Be SMART” contact form.


About Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund
Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund (the “Everytown Support Fund”) is the education, research and litigation arm of Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country with nearly six million supporters. The Everytown Support Fund seeks to improve our understanding of the causes of gun violence and help to reduce it by conducting groundbreaking original research, developing evidence-based policies, communicating this knowledge to the American public, and advancing gun safety and gun violence prevention in communities and the courts. Learn more at http://www.everytownsupportfund.org.

About Safe Kids Worldwide
Safe Kids Worldwide is a nonprofit organization working to protect kids from preventable injuries, the number one cause of death for children in the United States. Safe Kids works with an extensive network of more than 400 coalitions in the U.S. and with partners in more than 30 countries to reduce traffic injuries, drownings, falls, burns, poisonings, and more. Safe Kids also engages in advocacy efforts to make kids safer at the federal, state, and local levels. Since 1988, Safe Kids has helped reduce the U.S. childhood death rate from unintentional injury by nearly 60 percent. Learn more at safekids.org.

How to Keep your Children Protected from Heatstroke

On By Safe Kids Northern ColoradoIn Car Seat Safety, child safetyLeave a comment

Riding in the car puts many babies right to sleep which makes it easy to forget they are in there. It also can create the idea to leave the sleeping child in the car while you run into the store quickly. However, leaving a child in the car even in cooler temperatures can lead to heatstroke or even death.

A car can heat up 19 degrees within 10 minutes and cracking a window does not help. Young children are most at risk since their bodies heat up faster than an adult’s. Heatstroke is entirely preventable by never leaving a child alone in the car.

To prevent heatstroke emergencies, remember to ACT:

  1. Avoid heatstroke injury or death by never leaving your child alone in the car. Also remember to keep keys and key fobs out of reach of children and lock your doors at all times.
  2. Create reminders that your child is in the car by placing your purse, briefcase or an item needed for your final destination by your child.
  3. Take action! If you see a child alone in a car, call 9-1-1. Emergency responders are trained for this situation. Your one call could be the reason a child lives.

Celebrating Safe Kids Week

On By Safe Kids Northern ColoradoIn bicycle safety, Car Seat Safety, child safety, home safety, Medication Safety, water safetyLeave a comment

Safe Kids Larimer County Celebrates Safe Kids Week with Resources to Help Parents Protect Kids from Preventable Injuries

Safety Advocates Unite to Remind Busy Parents to Take Time to Focus on Simple Steps to Keep Kids Safe at Home, at Play, and on the Way

In honor of Safe Kids Week (May 8-14), Safe Kids Larimer County, based at UCHealth, is providing tips, resources, and activities to educate parents and caregivers about simple ways to keep their kids safe from a range of preventable injuries.

At a time when parents are focused on many priorities at once, Safe Kids Week is a national celebration dedicated to celebrating kids, raising awareness about child injury prevention, and inspiring parents to take the time to focus on proven and practical tips to keep their kids safe. 

Preventable injuries are the number one cause of death of children in the United States, and millions more are injured in ways that can affect them for a lifetime.

“Safe Kids Week is a wonderful opportunity for Larimer County residents to celebrate kids, learn about how to keep them safe and, ultimately, save lives,” says Alison Weston, Safe Kids Coordinator. “This is a week where we can all take just a little bit of time out of our busy schedules to focus on a few simple steps that can make a big difference in the safety of our children.”  

To support parents and caregivers, Safe Kids Larimer County is offering helpful resources, including:

  • Parent’s Guide to Child Safety – a comprehensive 24-page guide with expert advice and easy-to-follow tips to help families reduce risks, prevent injuries and keep kids safe at home, at play and on the road. Available in English and Spanish.
  • Family Safety Activity Book – a fun booklet that includes a maze, word search, coloring pages, puzzles, and other exciting games to keep you and your kids ages 4-8 entertained and safe. Available in English and Spanish.
  • Home Safety Graphic – an interactive graphic that takes parents room by room to show useful tips on how to keep their kids safe no matter where they live.

Medication Safety for Children

On By Safe Kids Northern ColoradoIn home safety, Medication SafetyLeave a comment

Drug Take Back Day is this Saturday (4/30). Safely getting rid of unneeded medications is a great start to keeping children and teens from getting into them.

Medicine is the leading cause of poisoning in children. In 2017, nearly 52,000 children were seen in the Emergency Room for medicine poisoning. This is why it is extremely important to keep your children away from medicine. Keep this in mind when childproofing your home. Here are a few tips on how to keep your medicine safe from children.

  1. Get rid of unneeded medications. Visit one of the law enforcement agencies who are participating in the Drug Take Back Day this Saturday, April 30th or find a permanent drop off location here.
  2. Store medicine up and away and out of site from children. Children are naturally curious and ready to explore, especially places within their reach. Keeping medicine/vitamins at or above counter height will prevent children from reaching it – this includes medicine you use every day.
  3. Consider common places where medicine is kept. Many people tend to keep medicine in their purses or on the counter. Consider hanging bags on a high shelf or putting medications away when children come to visit.
  4. Understand which products are harmful to children. Many common products such as eye drops, diaper cream, and vitamins are harmful to children. Store these items as you would over-the-counter or prescription medicine.
  5. Save the Poison Help number to your phone and have it visible at home: 1-800-222-1222. Poison control specialists are available 24 hours a day and provide free medical advice for poison emergencies.
  6. Share medicine safety information with family and friends. Share this information with babysitters, grandparents, and other family members to keep medicine out of reach and out of site from children to prevent medicine poisoning. Also make sure they know the Poison Help number!