Stanislaus County Health Services Agency (HSA) and its Keep Baby Safe (KBS) Program will conduct a free child safety seat check event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 23. The safety checks will be held in the Learning Institute parking lot, 917 Oakdale Road, Modesto. Trained car seat technicians will be on site to assist the public in making sure children are riding in an appropriate car seat for their age, weight and height.

This event will provide parents and caregivers the opportunity to learn how to install and use child safety seats correctly. Properly securing a child in a child safety seat significantly reduces the risk of him or her suffering serious injuries or death.

The car seat check-up event is being conducted as part of a grant provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and granted to the HSA KBS Program. This is the kick-off event of the grant.

Currently HSA is the only entity that provides car seat safety education classes to Stanislaus County residents. Those residents with limited transportation need to travel by bus to the Health Services Agency in Modesto to attend the class. This grant will allow the KBS car seat program to expand its services throughout the county, making them more accessible for residents to attend classes.

The expansion of the program includes collaboration with 10 Family Resource Centers (FRC) in the county, including the Oakdale FRC. Staff from the local FRC will become certified car seat technicians and will be able to teach classes at the Oakdale FRC location. The goal of the program is to educate parents and caregivers about the importance of properly restraining children in safety seats, decreasing child passenger injuries and increasing accessibility for low income residents.