Injury Prevention Program

The purpose of the Child Passenger Safety Program is to offer education, resources, and direct services to families in need of support. Certified child passenger safety technicians deliver educational materials and install car and booster seats:

• For families with a child at Boston Children's as an inpatient
• Through community partnerships with local health clinics
• On-site through Community Car-seat Installation events

Income-eligible families that receive care at Boston Children's Primary Care can receive a car seat or booster seat, as needed. To ensure the seats are properly installed and utilized, we require that families attend a one-hour training session before receiving a seat. We also offer car-seat installation services to families upon request. For more information, contact the Injury Prevention Program at 617-355-7332.

Through collaboration with the Brain Injury Center and ThinkFirst Boston, children are taught the fundamentals of head and spine injury prevention, in addition to being properly fitted with a sports helmet. The Injury Prevention Program provides free helmets to Massachusetts children each year through the Boston Children's Primary Care (Longwood and Martha Eliot), Boston Children's at Peabody, and other neighborhood health centers.

ThinkFirst Boston is a free, school-based program offered by Boston Children's to schools in Boston and surrounding neighborhoods. The program is intended to teach first- through third-graders about preventing injuries to their brains and spinal cords.

ThinkFirst Boston provides age-specific programs for kids, youth, and teens to increase their awareness and knowledge, so that an effective foundation for prevention can be established and later reinforced. Contact Barbara DiGirolamo at 617-355-7332 to learn how Boston Children's can bring ThinkFirst Boston to your school.

The Injury Free Coalition for Kids is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, composed of hospital-based community oriented programs, whose efforts are anchored in research, education, and advocacy. The Injury Prevention Program at Boston Children's is the Boston site for the Injury Free Coalition for Kids. For more information, visit Injury Free Coalition for Kids.

The Safety Store is a kiosk located in the main hospital lobby that offers a selection of safety products and an array of educational programming and materials on site. The Safety Store is also the designated purchasing location of helmets for Boston's Bluebikes program for the Longwood Medical Area.

Founded 25 years ago, Safe Kids USA has become the largest national network of organizations working to prevent unintentional childhood injury. Safe Kids USA is composed of more than 600 coalitions and chapters in 50 states and brings together health and safety experts, educators, corporations, foundations, governments, and volunteers to educate and protect families. Safe Kids Worldwide has extended that message to 19 countries on six continents.

The Injury Prevention Program serves as the Massachusetts state representative for Safe Kids. Safe Kids Massachusetts is a statewide collaboration of government and community-based organizations dedicated to preventing unintentional injuries to children. Through the infrastructure of this collective framework, the Injury Prevention Program continues its work to decrease unintentional pediatric injury through improved public awareness, education, and policy updates. For more information on Safe Kids Massachusetts, please contact the Injury Prevention Program at 617-355-5400 or Injurypreventionprogram@childrens.harvard.edu.

Boston Children's is home to the world's largest research enterprise at a pediatric medical center. Basic research, clinical research, and community research programs run through the Injury Prevention Program, the Trauma Center, and a collaborative effort hospital-wide — as we continue to grow the knowledge base and understanding of pediatric injury.

Buckling up is a simple step to saving lives and reducing the enormous costs (physical, emotional, and financial) associated with motor vehicle-related injuries. The Boston Children's Injury Prevention Program is involved in the SAFE Coalition's lobbying and public education campaigns.