Risk Watch© Education Program

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Injuries remain the leading cause of death for children under age fourteen in the United States, with children under age five being a highest risk of injury related deaths. This pattern is consistent in most individual states and regions of the country. While there are on-going national campaigns and national models for community action to address child injury prevention, including National SAFE KIDS, Safe USA, and Safe Communities, there are few tools that provide a common foundation for work in classrooms across the country to teach children and their families about preventing injuries.

Risk Watch© is the only one school based education curriculum available nationwide that presents child injury prevention advocates in any state with a consistent and tested classroom program on preventing leading causes of child injury. Developed by the National Fire Protection Association in collaboration with a wide range of respected national safety organizations and experts, the Risk Watch© curriculum serves children in Pre-K, Grades 1-2, Grades 3-4, Grades 5-6, and Grades 7-8. Several studies already have demonstrated that children participating in the Risk Watch© curriculum achieve gains in knowledge as a result of their exposure to this information and other studies currently are underway to continue the evaluation of this curriculum.

Given that most preschool age children may attend facilities outside of the conventional school setting and given the high incidence of injury on an annual basis to preschool age children in most states, a model for reaching this audience with injury prevention instruction appears urgent and critical. Traditionally, most child injury prevention advocates have tended to work locally and less frequently, statewide. Efforts, however, are moving toward more regional and national collaboration between child injury prevention advocates to reduce duplication of effort, to coordinate delivery of education, policy, and research, and to share information, expertise, and resources.

For more information on the Risk Watch© education program contact the Community Education and Child Advocacy Department of Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Indiana, 1-888-365-2022 or email kids1st@iupui.edu.

Risk Watch© Education Program

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