Purdy student plans car seat check day Nov. 23 to keep kids safe
November 20, 2019
Charlea Estes-Jones
Every day, Barry County parents strap their kids into car seats and hit the road. They travel to school, work, daycare, sporting events, practices and more. One Purdy High School student is hoping to make that routine a little safer.
Makayla Mazza, a freshman FCCLA member, put together a car seat installation and safety day this Saturday, November 23. The event will be held at the Purdy Fire Department and will feature car seat safety technicians to check each tot's ride as well as games and activities to keep kids occupied during the exchange.
The event is Mazza's focus for her upcoming FCCLA competition piece in the Focus on the Children category. She said she got the inspiration because of children in her own life. She shared, "I have younger siblings, and I have a little cousin who is my best friend in the whole world and she is five. I would be devastated if she got hurt in a car wreck because of her car seat, so that helped me."
Saturday will be a great opportunity for parents and grandparents to stop in and have their seats checked for child fit, installation and other elements.
Mazza is partnered with CoxHealth, who is providing the safety tech; the school; and the Purdy First Department to host the event. Part of the event will insure that every child who leaves the event will do so safely in an appropriate seat.
Mazza said, "If a parent shows up and it's not fit or expired or doesn't look safe or has been in an accident, they are bringing brand new car seats with them. All day, if they run out, they'll get more. Any parent who doesn't have one gets a new one."
While parents are getting their kids' seats checked out, kids will be treated to games and activities, like Jenga, musical chairs, play dough, toys and more. Mazza will have help from other FCCLA members during the event, as well.
When Mazza had the idea for the event, her adviser, Amy Harkey, was supportive and helped her get in contact with the right people to make the free event happen. Mazza said, “When we talked about it, my adviser said she had a friend at the hospital, so we called and talked to them about doing an event like this. Then the Purdy Fire Department wanted to help out, and they got in on it, too."
Harkey said, "Makayla came to me when I introduced the STAR events competition and said she was interested in doing something that involved children. Makayla has a love for kids. As we brainstormed about ideas, we thought the car seat safety check would be something our community has not had the chance to participate in. We contacted Cox Monett to see if they had the ability to do car seat safety checks and they loved our idea.
"Makayla's project is very unique, I do not know of any other FCCLA groups in the area that are providing safety checks. Makayla has worked hard to make sure the community is aware of this event. She enlisted the help of other FCCLA members to visit local businesses including Cassville and Monett and hang flyers about the event. She also sent a flyer home with every student K-12 in the Purdy district."
Once the event is over, Mazza will compile a tri-fold with pictures and information from the event and present it to judges for competition at districts for FCCLA. If she does well, she will move on to state competition.
During the planning for the event, Mazza said she has learned a lot about car seat safety that she didn't know already, and she hopes the event will help parents in the area keep their children safe.
She said, "One of the things I learned is when you put your car seat in the car, I didn't realize it was more important to put them in the middle than the sides. I also didn't realize how many people use the LATCH clips on the car seats wrong."
On Saturday, certified car seat safety technicians will make sure that every child is in a safe seat that is appropriate for their size, age and weight.
Harkey added, "I am hoping that we can continue this partnership and be able to bring this to the Purdy/Barry County area again in the future."
Missouri law dictates that children under the age of four or less than 40 pounds must be in an appropriate child safety seat. Children ages four through seven who weigh at least 40 pounds have to be in a booster seat unless they are over 80 pounds or 4'9" tall. Finally, children eight and over who are at least 4'9" tall or at least 80 pounds must be in a seat belt or booster.
The American Academy of Pediatrics makes even more stringent recommendations regarding car seats. They list:
• Infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing car safety seat as long as possible, until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their seat. Most convertible seats have limits that will allow children to ride rear-facing for two years or more.
• Once they are facing forward, children should use a forward-facing car safety seat with a harness for as long as possible, until they reach the height and weight limits for their seats. Many seats can accommodate children up to 65 pounds or more.
• When children exceed these limits, they should use a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle’s lap and shoulder seat belt fits properly. This is often when they have reached at least 4 feet 9 inches in height and are 8 to 12 years old.
• When children are old enough and large enough to use the vehicle seat belt alone, they should always use lap and shoulder seat belts for optimal protection.
• All children younger than 13 years should be restrained in the rear seats of vehicles for optimal protection.
The AAP also states "car safety seat or booster seat lowers the risk of death or serious injury by more than 70 percent."
The Car Seat Installation and Safety Day will be held on Saturday, November 23, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Purdy Fire Station at 102 Front Street. There will be activities and games to keep kids occupied while safety checks are performed.
Mazza concluded, "I feel very strongly that kids should be as safe as possible. We can't always stop everything, but with winter coming and the icy roads, I could help make them much safer than they would be."
Charlea Estes-Jones
Every day, Barry County parents strap their kids into car seats and hit the road. They travel to school, work, daycare, sporting events, practices and more. One Purdy High School student is hoping to make that routine a little safer.
Makayla Mazza, a freshman FCCLA member, put together a car seat installation and safety day this Saturday, November 23. The event will be held at the Purdy Fire Department and will feature car seat safety technicians to check each tot's ride as well as games and activities to keep kids occupied during the exchange.
The event is Mazza's focus for her upcoming FCCLA competition piece in the Focus on the Children category. She said she got the inspiration because of children in her own life. She shared, "I have younger siblings, and I have a little cousin who is my best friend in the whole world and she is five. I would be devastated if she got hurt in a car wreck because of her car seat, so that helped me."
Saturday will be a great opportunity for parents and grandparents to stop in and have their seats checked for child fit, installation and other elements.
Mazza is partnered with CoxHealth, who is providing the safety tech; the school; and the Purdy First Department to host the event. Part of the event will insure that every child who leaves the event will do so safely in an appropriate seat.
Mazza said, "If a parent shows up and it's not fit or expired or doesn't look safe or has been in an accident, they are bringing brand new car seats with them. All day, if they run out, they'll get more. Any parent who doesn't have one gets a new one."
While parents are getting their kids' seats checked out, kids will be treated to games and activities, like Jenga, musical chairs, play dough, toys and more. Mazza will have help from other FCCLA members during the event, as well.
When Mazza had the idea for the event, her adviser, Amy Harkey, was supportive and helped her get in contact with the right people to make the free event happen. Mazza said, “When we talked about it, my adviser said she had a friend at the hospital, so we called and talked to them about doing an event like this. Then the Purdy Fire Department wanted to help out, and they got in on it, too."
Harkey said, "Makayla came to me when I introduced the STAR events competition and said she was interested in doing something that involved children. Makayla has a love for kids. As we brainstormed about ideas, we thought the car seat safety check would be something our community has not had the chance to participate in. We contacted Cox Monett to see if they had the ability to do car seat safety checks and they loved our idea.
"Makayla's project is very unique, I do not know of any other FCCLA groups in the area that are providing safety checks. Makayla has worked hard to make sure the community is aware of this event. She enlisted the help of other FCCLA members to visit local businesses including Cassville and Monett and hang flyers about the event. She also sent a flyer home with every student K-12 in the Purdy district."
Once the event is over, Mazza will compile a tri-fold with pictures and information from the event and present it to judges for competition at districts for FCCLA. If she does well, she will move on to state competition.
During the planning for the event, Mazza said she has learned a lot about car seat safety that she didn't know already, and she hopes the event will help parents in the area keep their children safe.
She said, "One of the things I learned is when you put your car seat in the car, I didn't realize it was more important to put them in the middle than the sides. I also didn't realize how many people use the LATCH clips on the car seats wrong."
On Saturday, certified car seat safety technicians will make sure that every child is in a safe seat that is appropriate for their size, age and weight.
Harkey added, "I am hoping that we can continue this partnership and be able to bring this to the Purdy/Barry County area again in the future."
Missouri law dictates that children under the age of four or less than 40 pounds must be in an appropriate child safety seat. Children ages four through seven who weigh at least 40 pounds have to be in a booster seat unless they are over 80 pounds or 4'9" tall. Finally, children eight and over who are at least 4'9" tall or at least 80 pounds must be in a seat belt or booster.
The American Academy of Pediatrics makes even more stringent recommendations regarding car seats. They list:
• Infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing car safety seat as long as possible, until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their seat. Most convertible seats have limits that will allow children to ride rear-facing for two years or more.
• Once they are facing forward, children should use a forward-facing car safety seat with a harness for as long as possible, until they reach the height and weight limits for their seats. Many seats can accommodate children up to 65 pounds or more.
• When children exceed these limits, they should use a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle’s lap and shoulder seat belt fits properly. This is often when they have reached at least 4 feet 9 inches in height and are 8 to 12 years old.
• When children are old enough and large enough to use the vehicle seat belt alone, they should always use lap and shoulder seat belts for optimal protection.
• All children younger than 13 years should be restrained in the rear seats of vehicles for optimal protection.
The AAP also states "car safety seat or booster seat lowers the risk of death or serious injury by more than 70 percent."
The Car Seat Installation and Safety Day will be held on Saturday, November 23, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Purdy Fire Station at 102 Front Street. There will be activities and games to keep kids occupied while safety checks are performed.
Mazza concluded, "I feel very strongly that kids should be as safe as possible. We can't always stop everything, but with winter coming and the icy roads, I could help make them much safer than they would be."