Nationally, 43% of children in a deadly car crash were not properly restrained, but the Santa Fe community can help. As reported through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, child safety seats have been shown to reduce fatal injury by 71% for infants and 54% for toddlers ages 1-4. A study, conducted through the Journal of Pediatrics shows that a 10% improvement nationally in the use of appropriate child restraints in cars, would decrease the national child crash fatality rate significantly, cutting it from 0.94 per 100,000 to 0.56 per 100,000. The Santa Fe Public Schools (SFPS) Adelante program serves children and families in the Santa Fe community who are experiencing housing instability and homelessness. These are families who need assistance to acquire proper child safety restraints in vehicles. Through the support of the Santa Fe Chapter of the Awesome Foundation, eleven families can be provided with an infant or toddler car seat.

Car seats generally range from $80 - $300 dollars, and not many are found at donation centers or garage sales. This is because car seats have an expiration date of approximately 5 years. Expiration dates help to ensure the item reflects the latest in technology and meets the most up-to-date safety regulations. The expiration date is also important when considering the structural integrity of the seat's components. The webbing, plastic, foam, buckles, etc., experience wear and tear over time that could weaken their ability to provide optimal crash protection if they’ve been in use for too long. This is why new seats need to be purchased.

SFPS Adelante will use the requested funds to purchase eleven car seats. Six infant car seats and five toddler car seats will be purchased. The seats, once purchased, will be available in the Adelante warehouse for distribution to families who need appropriate child safety restraints in their vehicles.