Safety Town
Encyclopedia
Safety Town is a two-week program for preschool children (ages five or six years old) that teaches safety lessons about fire, pedestrians/traffic, water, guns, strangers and poisons/drugs. Safety Town programs that are accredited by the National Safety Town Center in Cleveland, Ohio
are offered throughout the country.
Safety town is also often the name given to an area, typically smaller in scale, that represents a replica town created to instruct children about safety measures.
Safety Town was the brainchild of a police officer of the Mansfield Ohio Police Dept. in 1937, and was the model used across the entire country and has been used continuously since that date in Mansfield, Ohio.
on Long Island
in New York
at Eisenhower Park, is a miniature town operated by the Nassau County Police Department
that teaches children about traffic safety. An actual miniature town built to 1/3 scale, it includes paved streets, two intersections equipped with traffic signals, an overpass, two tunnels, a simulated railroad crossing and 21 buildings. It allows the NCPD's Traffic Safety Unit to teach traffic and bicycle safety to children in 3rd grade under controlled conditions.
Children are taught about the rules governing pedestrians and bikers sharing the road with motorists. Attendants go through Safety Town as pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists (in electric-powered miniature cars).
Children ages 7–9 generally visit Safety Town. School groups make up the bulk of visitors during the school year. Children attending during school field trips are usually in the third grade.
in Pasco County, Florida
is an example of the training offered in respect to the many hazard possibilities not always considered in other cities or states. The grounds have multiple scale buildings designed to mimic actual familiar locations such as fast food and chain stores. There are paved streets with an operating railroad gate. A child scale phone booth is used along with tips listed on a billboard for training to make 911 calls
. Fire safety includes measures taken for a personal clothing fire.
Along with traffic & bicycle safety, there are school bus loading and unloading practices. With Florida's extensive lakes, retaining ponds and drainage canals, water and boating safety are taught. Children learn to resist the tempting nature of possible predator strangers, the lure of loose pets and wild animals. Incidental hazards such as electrical storms and downed power lines are included.
Tours of instruction are intended for kindergarten through 2nd grade students, ages 5 through 8 years. The facilities also train school crossing guards, Citizen Emergency Response Team (CERT) members for emergency response drills and holds Bicycle Safety Rodeos.
Support continues from commercial and private sources of both voluntary time and funding.
In the Tampa Bay
area, there are similar safety towns in Tampa
(near Lowry Park Zoo
) and Clearwater
.
in the Dallas Metroplex
opened its new central fire station and adjoining safety town in 2006. The town is similar to others and features. In addition to a small town to scale miniature set with safety signs, lights, and artificial rail road and electrical hazards, the town also features an indoor recreated fire station, construction site, amphitheater, and two story home.
is a cooperative endeavor between Sheriff
Steve Prator of the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office (www.caddosheriff.org) and other area agencies including the Shreveport Police Department, the Shreveport Fire Department, the Louisiana State Police
, and numerous school districts in northwest Louisiana
and east Texas
. Safety Town
is designed to protect children by teaching safety skills and allowing them to practice those skills in a safe, controlled environment. A child-sized town with miniature streets, buildings, crosswalks and working traffic signals offers the ideal setting for bicycle, pedestrian and vehicular safety instruction.
Following classroom instruction, second graders from eight parishes (including Caddo Parish) and five Texas
counties take a field trip to Sheriff's Safety Town. While applying their newly-acquired safety knowledge, students interact with deputy sheriffs, police officers, fire fighters, and troopers who reinforce the safety lessons taught in class. The areas covered in the primary program include the following:
In an effort to meet the safety needs of the entire community, numerous other safety programs and events are conducted at the site on an ongoing basis. These additional programs/events include but are not limited to the following:
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
are offered throughout the country.
Safety town is also often the name given to an area, typically smaller in scale, that represents a replica town created to instruct children about safety measures.
History
The Safety Town program was established in 1964 by Doroth Chalad to promote early-childhood safety education. Chalad began the program after realizing a lack of safety education classes specifically tailored to preschoolers. She recruited teachers, police officers, firemen and other safety-related professionals to teach lessons based on their experiences, and formulated a curiculum that incorporated various interactive teaching strategies.Safety Town was the brainchild of a police officer of the Mansfield Ohio Police Dept. in 1937, and was the model used across the entire country and has been used continuously since that date in Mansfield, Ohio.
Oklahoma
The Safety Town in Altus, Oklahoma is one of the nicer Safety Towns across the country. At the Altus Safety Town, hundreds of children learn about traffic laws, local business, tax evasion, and odometer fraud. Safety Town in Altus is transformed each year into "Spooky Town" and "Christmas Town," to celebrate the American holidays known as Halloween and Christmas, respectively. There is a well-known rivalry between Altus' Safety Town and Imagination Station, a safer and better-funded children's center.New York
Safety Town, in East MeadowEast Meadow, New York
East Meadow is a hamlet in Nassau County , New York, United States. East Meadow is an unincorporated area in the Town of Hempstead....
on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
at Eisenhower Park, is a miniature town operated by the Nassau County Police Department
Nassau County Police Department
The Nassau County Police Department is the law enforcement agency of Nassau County, New York.-History:In 1925, concerned about rising crime rates, the County Board of Supervisors voted to create the Nassau County Police Department, replacing a scattered system of constables and town and village...
that teaches children about traffic safety. An actual miniature town built to 1/3 scale, it includes paved streets, two intersections equipped with traffic signals, an overpass, two tunnels, a simulated railroad crossing and 21 buildings. It allows the NCPD's Traffic Safety Unit to teach traffic and bicycle safety to children in 3rd grade under controlled conditions.
Children are taught about the rules governing pedestrians and bikers sharing the road with motorists. Attendants go through Safety Town as pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists (in electric-powered miniature cars).
Children ages 7–9 generally visit Safety Town. School groups make up the bulk of visitors during the school year. Children attending during school field trips are usually in the third grade.
Florida
Safety Town in New Port RicheyNew Port Richey, Florida
New Port Richey is a city in Pasco County, Florida, United States. It is a suburban city included in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area...
in Pasco County, Florida
Pasco County, Florida
Pasco County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 344,765. The July 1, 2007 census estimate according to the U.S. Census Bureau for the county is 462,715. Its county seat is Dade City, Florida which is in the northeast part of the county - somewhat...
is an example of the training offered in respect to the many hazard possibilities not always considered in other cities or states. The grounds have multiple scale buildings designed to mimic actual familiar locations such as fast food and chain stores. There are paved streets with an operating railroad gate. A child scale phone booth is used along with tips listed on a billboard for training to make 911 calls
Emergency telephone number
Many countries' public telephone networks have a single emergency telephone number, sometimes known as the universal emergency telephone number or occasionally the emergency services number, that allows a caller to contact local emergency services for assistance. The emergency telephone number may...
. Fire safety includes measures taken for a personal clothing fire.
Along with traffic & bicycle safety, there are school bus loading and unloading practices. With Florida's extensive lakes, retaining ponds and drainage canals, water and boating safety are taught. Children learn to resist the tempting nature of possible predator strangers, the lure of loose pets and wild animals. Incidental hazards such as electrical storms and downed power lines are included.
Tours of instruction are intended for kindergarten through 2nd grade students, ages 5 through 8 years. The facilities also train school crossing guards, Citizen Emergency Response Team (CERT) members for emergency response drills and holds Bicycle Safety Rodeos.
Support continues from commercial and private sources of both voluntary time and funding.
In the Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and estuary along the Gulf of Mexico on the west central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay."Tampa Bay" is not the name of any municipality...
area, there are similar safety towns in Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
(near Lowry Park Zoo
Lowry Park Zoo
Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo is a nonprofit zoo located in Tampa, Florida. In 2004, Lowry Park Zoo was voted the #1 Family Friendly Zoo in the US by Child Magazine, and is recognized by the State of Florida as the center for Florida wildlife conservation and biodiversity .Tampa's Lowry Park Zoological...
) and Clearwater
Clearwater, Florida
Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, US, nearly due west of Tampa and northwest of St. Petersburg. In the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and in the east lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 108,787. It is the county seat of...
.
Georgia
Safety Town in Georgia is a program designed to prepare rising kindergarteners for the dangers of situations like riding the school bus, how to call 911, and how to remember their address. Many schools have offered it, including the Forsyth County school system.Texas
Frisco CityFrisco, Texas
Frisco is an affluent city in Collin and Denton Counties in the U.S. state of Texas and a rapidly growing suburb of Dallas. As of the 2010 Census, 116,989 people were living in Frisco up from 33,714 in the previous census. Frisco was the fastest growing city in the United States in 2009, and also...
in the Dallas Metroplex
Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex
The Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area, a title designated by the U.S. Census as of 2003, encompasses 12 counties within the U.S. state of Texas. The area is divided into two metropolitan divisions: Dallas–Plano–Irving and Fort Worth–Arlington. Residents of the area...
opened its new central fire station and adjoining safety town in 2006. The town is similar to others and features. In addition to a small town to scale miniature set with safety signs, lights, and artificial rail road and electrical hazards, the town also features an indoor recreated fire station, construction site, amphitheater, and two story home.
Louisiana
Sheriff's Safety Town (www.sheriffssafetytown.org), located in Shreveport, opened in December of 2008. Safety TownSafety Town
Safety Town is a two-week program for preschool children that teaches safety lessons about fire, pedestrians/traffic, water, guns, strangers and poisons/drugs...
is a cooperative endeavor between Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
Steve Prator of the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office (www.caddosheriff.org) and other area agencies including the Shreveport Police Department, the Shreveport Fire Department, the Louisiana State Police
Louisiana State Police
The Louisiana State Police is the state police department of Louisiana, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the state, headquartered in Baton Rouge. It was created to protect the lives, property and constitutional rights of people in Louisiana. It falls under the authority of the Louisiana...
, and numerous school districts in northwest Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and east Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Safety Town
Safety Town
Safety Town is a two-week program for preschool children that teaches safety lessons about fire, pedestrians/traffic, water, guns, strangers and poisons/drugs...
is designed to protect children by teaching safety skills and allowing them to practice those skills in a safe, controlled environment. A child-sized town with miniature streets, buildings, crosswalks and working traffic signals offers the ideal setting for bicycle, pedestrian and vehicular safety instruction.
Following classroom instruction, second graders from eight parishes (including Caddo Parish) and five Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
counties take a field trip to Sheriff's Safety Town. While applying their newly-acquired safety knowledge, students interact with deputy sheriffs, police officers, fire fighters, and troopers who reinforce the safety lessons taught in class. The areas covered in the primary program include the following:
- Pedestrian Safety
- Bicycle Safety
- Motor Vehicle & Seatbelt Safety
- Railroad Safety
- School Bus Safety
- Fire & Smoke Safety
- Electrical & Power Line Safety
- Natural Gas Safety
- Home Alone Safety
- 9-1-1 Familiarization
- Weather Safety
- Natural Gas Well Site Safety
- Poison Safety
- Animal Safety
- Water Safety
- Gun Safety
- Internet & Texting Safety
- Stanger Danger
In an effort to meet the safety needs of the entire community, numerous other safety programs and events are conducted at the site on an ongoing basis. These additional programs/events include but are not limited to the following:
- Bike Rodeos
- Kids' C.S.I. Camps
- Summer Safety Mini Camps
- Hunter Safety Classes
- Women's Self-Defense Classes
- A.A.R.P. Driving Classes
- "Junior League of Shreveport-Bossier Super Safety Saturday" events
- "Justin Bloxom We Care About Our Kids Day"
- "KiwanisKiwanisKiwanis International is an international, coeducational service club founded in 1915. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Current membership is 240,000 members in 7,700 clubs in 80 nations...
Read-Around-Safety Town" event - and others.