Thinking of getting certified... a question

first off i have to say i've learned a great deal from reading these forums. i've already "converted" DW and we've changed a lot of the ways in which we do things, car-safety wise. so i considered getting certified, but i couldn't seem to justify taking an entire week away from my work (and family, if i consider that the time spent on training could be used for vacation), especially if there was no additional benefit other than personal knowledge.

but then i had a lightbulb moment. our DD1 is going to be going to a co-op preschool this fall. i don't know if this applies to other parts of the country, but around these parts the co-ops like to have a variety of parents who can contribute in different ways... with "elected" jobs that run the gamut from taking out the trash to writing grants. (many of the co-ops here also have that holier-than-thou attitude of "what can YOU bring to the table"... never mind what WE can provide for your daughter for the mega $$$ we take from you). but what can you do. that's what you get for living in the people's republic of cambridge.

anyway, i was thinking, if i became certified, the pre-school could potentially be a great way for me to contribute to "spreading the word" about proper CPS. i could volunteer to do weekend seat checks (a lot of the co-op volunteer work has to be done on the weekends). interestingly, of the 50 or so volunteer "jobs" on the list, not one had to do with any kind of safety. but they do encourage "creative" ideas about jobs and filling niches that you see come up. frankly, i didn't care for any of the jobs they had listed.

so that brings me to my big question. i searched a little bit, but couldn't find the answer: with certification, am i qualified to host an organized carseat check? what else is needed besides a safe (and presumably private) parking lot? (the preschool has one, so it could be done right on premises). i was thinking that with devoting one hour per vehicle for the check, the verbal instruction, and the paperwork, i could do eight per day... and considering that the entire preschool only has 28 kids (some are siblings) and only 14 in DD2's class, after a couple of organized events, no vehicle would be left behind. what else would i need? how long do you spend on paperwork/CYA stuff for each vehicle you check?

think it's a good idea?

I think over all it's strongly suggested (even in the class litrature) that you attend events hosted by other techs and work along side with some a few times before attempting to host or put on on your self.... i'm going through the class right now, 1 day down 4 to go, it's a 4 day (one day a week) class.

I have a full time job (graphic artist) and volunteer as a cps tech when I can. I am active in my local safe kids organization and volunteer at weekend seat checks whenever I can. They actually are THRILLED that I do so since all of the rest of the techs in the area are certified for their jobs and a Saturday check is overtime for them.

For a time I also volunteered at a permanent seat check station near my house 2 weeknights/month, but my youngest just turned 1yo and it's been hard to juggle a full time job with two kids...and still carve out time for the check. It's been much easier to volunteer on weekends.

In addition to volunteering at seat checks... I do presentations for my child's day care center and a parents group that I'm a member of. Additionally, I am trying to coordinate a bike helmet fitting/give a way event for my dd's elementary school (in conjunction w/ Safe Kids). Dd is only in K right now but I'm working on eventually doing a booster seat program there as well. Her school is K-3 so pretty much everyone should be in at least a booster.

There are definitely opportunities to volunteer as part of other events, as well as being an advocate within your children's coop. Maybe you can look up your local Safe Kids coordinator and see what kind of opportunities they have?

When confronted with a similar experience I was told by the state coordinator that I could hold a community awareness event to present basic CPS information -- not a class for which people can earn CPS credits, though, obviously & it would be best if you had a waiver form that everyone would sign which explains that you are not teaching them to teach others....

Ideally, you should always have a senior technician present (unfortunately for me my senior techs around here generally preach minimum safety standards instead of safest practice & are too busy with their paid jobs anyway).

I believe it's also better to team up with an organization who supports the issue enough to help you hold events large enough to interest CPSTs from surrounding areas -- this is what I'm currently working on (also in hopes of finally getting a senior to submit my required seatcheks to maintain certification: the joys of not being a Sheriff's Office or Fire Station employee without gas funds to travel 2+ hours to large events)

Sounds like a great idea. Not just to check everyone's seats, but to be around for parent questions, help make sure field trip transport is safe for everyone, and stuff like that.

I would recommend working at a few checks with some experienced techs before you attempt your own. Some things that come up aren't covered in the class, plus you learn little tips and tricks, etc. The hands on part of the class is great, but with so many variables in vehicles, seats, and kids, there's no substitute for real field experience.

As far as organizing an event, there's a whole section on it in the training manual. But basically, all you really need is a safe place to hold the event and tech(s) to work at it. It's very helpful if you can have people there to direct traffic and to keep kids occupied while you're instructing the parents. Also nearly essential is a supply box with foam noodles, extra locking clips, LATCh manual, etc., and (some would argue this IS essential) the CD or book of manufacturers instructions. I think an hour per seat would be plenty. When we do checks by appointment we schedule 30 min. per seat, and after a few we're usually running behind. 45 minutes would probably do it but an hour would give you plenty of time to make sure the parents understand everything and give you a cushion if you run into a really tough case.

Getting certified and helping out at the preschool sounds like a good idea. I'm going to echo others and say that you should work a bunch of other checks before you try it on your own. But, don't forget, CPS doesn't end at preschool -- it should extend pretty far into elementary school.

One tip, start slow. I wouldn't try to take on eight hours a day at first. Try four. It can be exhausting work. I think once you get going, you'll find you can probably do two seats an hour. Make sure you have insurance.

I wish you luck!

Papooses --

What does this mean?

"When confronted with a similar experience I was told by the state coordinator that I could hold a community awareness event to present basic CPS information -- not a class for which people can earn CPS credits, though, obviously & it would be best if you had a waiver form that everyone would sign which explains that you are not teaching them to teach others...."

What are CPS credits and who would be earning them?

griffinmom said:

But, don't forget, CPS doesn't end at preschool -- it should extend pretty far into elementary school.

One tip, start slow. I wouldn't try to take on eight hours a day at first. Try four. It can be exhausting work. I think once you get going, you'll find you can probably do two seats an hour. Make sure you have insurance.

I wish you luck!

Click to expand...

thanks. of course CPS doesn't end at preschool, but the reason i thought of it was because i could never justify the time away from my work and family to become certified if not for being able to put it toward some practical application that is somehow connected to my family (i.e., aside from personal gain).

point taken about starting slow. i am sure this is true. i am a car guy, though, and for me to be around a car... doing something on a car with my hands... is instantly restorative and invigorating for me. if i didn't have a family in addition to a demanding career, i would be all over cars, day and night.

Just ditto'ing the others re: hands-on experience at seat checks being vitally important. I finished 2 days of the 5-day class (well, 4-day class and one day of a check) last year and got a bit of hands-on experience installing seats in various vehicles on the second day, and it was awesome. I learned so much in such a short time. Hopefully I can finish the class this year.

I feel very "book-smart" when it comes to CPS, but the hands-on is just as important.

griffinmom said:

Papooses --

What does this mean?

What are CPS credits and who would be earning them?

Click to expand...

*tsk* Credits @@ Sorry, I'm stuck in college mode. I was referring to the hours from an actual course.... Ex: to get certified I had 4 days 8:00AM to 5:00PM with 4 CPST-Instructors leading; some nurses I know got 2 days, some people only get 8 hours. Real curriculum, not basic community awareness info. I was trying to explain (quite ineffectively, LOL) that a Technician is not an Instructor.

When I was asked by Leila's nursery school teacher to educate the Head/Even Start transportation dept. here I was told by the coordinating local senior tech. to have them sign a waiver that they understood I'm not giving them any kind of permission to give other parents seatchecks, that I'm not liable if they do. None of my local senior techs were able/willing to help me with the awareness meeting even though it was right after my certification + it was for the entire county staff!

Sounds like this is a different circumstance, but just in case, I thought it worth noting

I started off slow just by holding seatchecks by appointment & the teacher supported including relative CPS info in the newsletter -- but only 1 person requested a seatcheck & I almost forced a Special Needs child's parent to accept a free carseat since their's was almost 5 years expired The interest was low. At the Catholic school Universal PreK, interest was even lower: the teacher was asking for Community Heroes to come speak, but when I volunteered she said "no thankyou" yet continued seeking volunteers The new public school PreK is OK -- they appreciate the information, but that's where it ends -- they prefer I hold a massive community event instead of targeting small audiences at a time *SIGH*