DEAR PARENTS:

When your child enters kindergarten this fall, he or she will encounter many new experiences.  We cannot trust our children's lives to a few memorized "do and don'ts" taught in the home.... our children's lives have become too complex in today's world for that type of learning.

Our children need SAFETY EDUCATION AND SAFETY TOWN is the most important first step in their safety education.  Here is an organized solution to the problem of preparing our children to cope with and understand ever increasing safety hazards.

Kids are our greatest and and most valuable, natural resource.  Thousands of kids won't make it to kindergarten this fall...they will die as a result of an accident.  And thousands more will be seriously injured or permanently handicapped..  all from accidents that could have been prevented.

Kids must be trained to be safety minded and that is why SAFETY TOWN is being sponsored by the BURLINGTON JAYCEES.  We believe in the young children of Burlington.

Let me explain a little about SAFETY TOWN:  SAFETY TOWN is an early childhood safety education program designed to introduce all types of safety conditions to preschool children.  During a 20 hour course (2 hours a day for 2 weeks)  children learn safety behavior through their own involvement.  They do this under the guidance/instruction of a licensed teacher and police officer, and student volunteer instructors.  A miniature layout of a town is built to the scale of the pre-school child.  Safety lessons are taught with the child learning through actual demonstrations and participation.  Instructions include pedestrian, motorist, bus, strangers, police, fire, railroad crossings, bicycle, dangers of medicines, poisons, etc., home safety and general play.

Movies, songs, posters, bus trips, field trips to the Burlington Police and Burlington Fire Departments are several of the things that your child will be doing.  This program is  a fun and learning experience that children eagerly look forward to attending.

After the course, each child should be familiar with the following:

• Separation from parents
• Name, address, and telephone number
• How to follow instructions
• Identifying his house and surroundings
• Meeting new friends
• Small and Large Group Participation
• Proper way to cross a street
• Importance of using a crosswalk
• The reason for stopping at a curb
• crossing using a traffic light and a walk light
• Meaning of an intersection, pedestrian and motorist
• Dangers of walking between parked cars
• Walking where there are no sidewalks
• Conditions when it rains or snows
• Walking on the right side of the sidewalk, crosswalk or in hallways
• Dangers of trains
• Proper Procedure when crossing railroad tracks
• Dangers of chasing a ball into the street
• Colors, shapes and meanings of safety signs
• Safe places to play
• Proper way to use playground equipment
• Bys procedure
• Proper way to enter and exit car on the curb side
• Proper way to behave in the Car
• Importance of fastening safety belt
• Dangers of household objects, medicine bottles, etc.
• Bicycle, tricycle and pedal car safety
• Who strangers are and what to do if approached by one
• The importance of always being with a friend or group and not being alone
• What to do if lost
• What to do in case of a fire
• Dangers of matches, lighters and fire
• Emergency vehicles and what they do
• Uniformed personnel (policeman, firemen, etc)
• How uniformed personnel help people
• Being "Helpers" to parents, uniformed personnel and friends
• Being courteous and obeying rules
• The importance of thinking Safely    l

This is just an example of the many important factors that your child will learn while attending SAFETY TOWN.

SAFETY TOWN is a PREVENTION PROGRAM....teaching how to prevent accidents from occurring and how to respond to dangerous situations.

SAFETY TOWN is an inexpensive community program that involves young children, teenagers, parents, school and city officials, police and fire department personnel and service organizations.

SAFETY TOWN OFFERS EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITIES............................

FOR A COMMUNITY TO:

• Work together for the welfare of all people in preventing accidents,
• Encourage school personnel to include all areas of safety into the curriculum as a continuing sequential part of education,
• interweave safety concepts through art, music, and creative writing and other related indoor and outdoor activities,
• be informed of the importance and value of early safety training.

FOR CHILDREN TO:

• learn, apply, practice and experience safety procedures through individual involvement in s supervised simulated "real life" situations,
• participate in activities in an atmosphere of educational fun for developing their confidence, self reliance and decision making abilities,
• develop a positive safety attitude and safety habits during their formative years,
• develop the seed of responsibility of caring for themselves and others
• acquire a general safety awareness upon which parents and schools can build,
• become acquainted with uniformed personnel and learn basic respect of law and order
• meet, learn and play with other children the same age

FOR PARENTS TO:

• attend the last 5-10 minutes of class and learn what was taught to further practice this with their children at home (optional)
• better understand their children's physical and mental development as related to safety capabilities
• practice safety procedures with their children by showing them the safes way to school noticing signs, ets.

We hope your child will be able to participate in the valuable program!