Eve’s Fund to give free booster seats, safety checks in Prewitt

Families in the Eastern Agency of the Navajo Nation will be able to pick up 100 free booster seats and get car-seat checks at Baca/Dlo’ ay Azhi Community School in Prewitt on April 18, a child-safety event aimed at reducing preventable injuries on the roads Navajo families use every day.

The Buckle Up Navajo: Protecting Our Children on the Road event is set for 9 a.m. to noon at 1571 State Highway 122, also listed as the I-40 Exit 63 North Frontage Road. Children must weigh between 40 and 100 pounds, attend with a guardian, and each eligible child may receive one booster seat. Families are limited to three seats, and the giveaway is first come, first served. The school flyer says all families are welcome.

Certified car-seat technicians will inspect seats families bring from home and provide hands-on safety education about proper installation and use. The effort comes at a time when child passenger safety remains a major public-health issue. CDC says motor vehicle injuries are a leading cause of death for children in the United States, and booster seats reduce serious injury risk by 45% for children ages 4 to 8 compared with seat belts alone. NHTSA estimates correctly used child restraints reduce fatal injury by 71% for infants under 1 and by 54% for children ages 1 to 4.

The need is especially acute in Native communities. CDC says American Indian and Alaska Native people have the highest motor vehicle-related death rates of any racial or ethnic group, and death rates for AI/AN children and youth ages 0 to 19 have been up to eight times as high as those of other racial and ethnic groups. That makes free seats and professional checks more than a giveaway. They are a direct safety intervention for families who may not otherwise have easy access to certified technicians or replacement equipment.

Robert McDonald III, the school principal, said Baca/Dlo’ ay Azhi Community School was proud to partner with organizations that share its mission to keep students safe. “Our children are sacred, and their safety is a responsibility we all share,” he said. The school, established in 1977, says it was created from a local vision for a culturally sensitive program centered on Navajo children and practices the traditional concept of Hozho to support students’ physical, mental and spiritual needs.

The event is being led by Eve’s Fund for Native American Health Initiatives and ThinkFirst Navajo. Eve’s Fund says its programs have reached more than 60,000 Navajo children and teens, while ThinkFirst Navajo says it has taught more than 40,000 young people about injury prevention. Families with questions can call Baca/Dlo’ ay Azhi Community School at 505-972-2769.