United Way, FACT team up for care seat safety checks in Hannibal

HANNIBAL, Mo. — When Kenedy Stewart, mom and nurse, picked up her son at the end of the day, she drove away knowing her children were safe on the road.

Stewart’s son Parker attends daycare at Bright Beginnings through the Hannibal YMCA, one of two daycare sites that recently offered car seat checks conducted by certified car seat technicians. Parker and his new sister Lucy — only days old — both had their car seats checked.

The effort was coordinated through The United Way of the Mark Twain Area and its community impact organization Families and Communities Together (FACT) in recognition of the annual National Child Passenger Safety Week held during the third week of September.

Stewart once worked in labor and delivery where the importance of car seat safety was instilled in her.

“It’s so important. Just in case of an accident, if the car seat is installed properly — especially if they are hit on the side — it can save their lives,” Stewart said in a press release.

Lanee Morgan, director of Bright Beginnings, said was thrilled to offer her daycare parents car seat checks.

“Having someone here to make sure that our kids are 100 percent safe in their car seats is wonderful,” she said. “We have great parents who also want to make sure their kids are safe. That extra assurance is good for them and us, as care providers, to know that they’re safe when they get in the car to leave.”

Stewart received a thumbs-up on the car seats in her vehicle and her husband’s, but that is not always the case.

Valerie Van Hoose, administrative assistant at Marion County Health Department and certified car seat tech, said more than 70 percent of car seats are improperly installed. As a car seat tech, it’s her job to help them know installation specific to their car seat and vehicle.

“Every car seat is different. Every car is different. It’s impossible for someone to know without being trained in it. They won’t know their installation errors unless they read every little part of the manual, so we can tell them what corrections need to be made,” Van Hoose said. “Then if they have to move the car seat to a different vehicle, they’re also familiar with how to do it.”

Van Hoose was one of the four certified car seat technicians at Bright Beginnings ready to check car seats. Three technicians were from the Marion County Ambulance District and one from the Marion County Health Department. Hannibal Regional Healthcare System’s Children’s Center also participated in the UWMTA and FACT car seat check.

To recognize National Car Seat Saturday, the Marion County Ambulance District held a car seat check on Sept. 21 at the Ambulance District building, 3120 Highway 61.

Through Safe Kids Coalition, a program of FACT, the organization provides car seats at no cost to families with a need. Car seats are provided to FACT at no cost from the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) upon the agreement that they are installed by the certified car seat technician at FACT.

Some of those car seats are distributed by FACT to Marion County Ambulance District along with Hannibal Regional Hospital for families of infants born there. Certified car seat technicians must install the car seat before they leave.

The United Way of the Mark Twain Area funding helps FACT buy special needs car seats for those who need them.

“There are certain car seats you must have for babies of certain sizes. For babies that are very small and unable to keep their heads up, there is a car bed that is strapped into the car,” said Tom Duggar, director of FACT.

In one case, a child was born too big for a traditional age-appropriate car seat, so one was specially made. Duggar said specialty car seats can cost up to $300 or $400.

“Ensuring that all families have car seats that fit the needs of their child is critical to safety,” said Denise Damron, director of United Way of the Mark Twain Area. “We are proud to support FACT in that effort.”

Van Hoose encourages anyone to get a car seat check, which are available year-round at several locations in Hannibal, including the Marion County Ambulance District.

She also said not to be intimidated by the state of your car, a factor that often holds parents back from car seat checks.

“We don’t care if your car is messy. Our kids make messes in the car, and there’s food in the car seats and we get that. Many of us have kids too,” she said. “We just want to make sure your child is safe in their seat.”