At Onward House safety is one of our main focuses, both in the classroom and out. That’s why we partnered with another local organization, Rincon Family Services, to provide safety training to parents participating in our programs, who were in need of proper car safety equipment.

Parents met for a presentation on the fundamentals of car seats, and why they are so important to protecting children on the road.

It all starts with understanding the laws and regulations designed to keep children safe. Illinois law requires all passengers under 8 years old to use a car seat or booster seat, although — a child weighing more than 40 pounds may be transported in the back seat without a booster seat, secured with a seat belt only.

Even minor traffic collisions can be harmful to children’s development — both physically and to their cognitive development. Every parent on the road needs the proper safety equipment in the likelihood of an accident.

However, car or booster seats can be a major expense for any family. Since it is unsafe to use a secondhand car seat parents are forced to purchase this equipment first hand, which can cost hundreds of dollars.

In addition to holding a joint training session piloted by Onward and Rincon, participating parents were able to obtain a free car seat and or booster seat as an incentive for attending the training on car seat safety.

We’re proud to partner with Rincon to support parents in providing a safe environment for their children.

For more information on how to support Onward and our safety initiatives contact our Director of Development, Nikki Way at nway@onwardhouse.org

Please note that Onward House cannot accept donated car or booster seats due to safety regulations.