Protecting Prescholers
With so many regular admonitions to “be safe,” it makes sense that the preschool-age children in Upper Arlington would have the chance to learn precisely what that means.
Safety Town, a two-week summer program, is geared toward children who will be starting kindergarten or first grade in the fall and takes on about 400 students a year. Safety Town teaches participants about everything from school bus safety to fire prevention to animal safety.
Certified teachers provide classroom instruction, and local safety specialists perform demonstrations. Area high school and college volunteers supervise a miniature village with tricycles and a traffic signal that’s aimed to teach children about pedestrian and traffic safety.
The program teaches participants “how to make wise decisions in potentially dangerous situations, as well as how to handle emergencies in their young lives,” says Shawn Paynter, Upper Arlington Police Division’s community relations and public information officer and coordinator of the program.
Though Safety Town is a summertime activity, the benefits are meant to be far more long-reaching.
“We are trying to equip kids with overall awareness and empower them so they can stay safe on a day-to-day basis,” says Paynter.
Safety Town is much larger than it was when it began in 1971, evolving into a two-week program, Paynter says.
“Over the years, we’ve added things to the program,” says Paynter.
Safety Town now offers a variety of activities with a different safety-related theme every day. In 2014, the Safety Town program saw record attendance, and it is expecting a high volume of attendees this year as well.
Safety Town is held annually at one of Upper Arlington City Schools’ elementary schools. This year, it will take place at Greensview Elementary School, located at 4301 Greensview Dr. Two sessions were offered in June, and two more are on tap for July. Morning and afternoon classes are available.
Registration is available by mail, online or in person at Upper Arlington Parks and Recreation. Visit parks.uaoh.net for more information.
Athnie McMillan-Comeaux is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at ssole@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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