END OF SUMMER: START OF SCHOOL MEANS RENEWED EMPHASIS ON SAFETY

With the start of a new school year, many families will be making decisions about whether children are old enough to come home alone after school, walk or ride bicycles to school or supervise younger children.

Experts say such decisions should depend on a child's maturity and willingness to accept new responsibility. But all decisions should be made within a context of safety and a recognition that home accidents are preventable by taking proper precautions.

"One of the things we can do is let people know what the true risks are," said Diana Koenig, youth education assistant at the University of Missouri Extension office in Perryville. "We encourage everyone to be safe, not sorry."

University of Missouri Extension offices around the state, groups working with law enforcement agencies, hospitals and service clubs are getting more and more involved in promoting youth safety.

Many of these groups are working together as part of the Safe Kids Coalition, which is part of a national effort to promote safety for youths. Accidents are the largest killer of youths 14 and under.

Rene Bowerman serves as the Cape Girardeau Safe Kids Colation media chairman.

The local group was formed two years ago, with the support of both Cape Girardeau hospitals and a number of other organizations.

"We provide programs for schools and organizations and for the community about safety," said Bowerman. "We have all kinds of material to make available for people about safety."

That information covers topics such as bicycle safety, fire safety, back-to-school safety tips and traffic safety.

Koenig said statistics clearly illustrate the dangers young people are exposed to.

For example, she said, 1,200 children 14 and under drown each year, and more than half of them are 4 or under. In addition, between 3,600 and 4,600 children are admitted to hospitals for near drownings, and another 14,000 to 19,000 are released from emergency rooms after being treated for a near drowning.

Most poisonings of children involve children under 6, but 91 percent of the poison exposures happen in the home. Pharmaceuticals are the No. 1 cause of child poisoning, and the second is household cleaning products that are often taken by children while being used by adults.

Child poisoning is one of the easiest things to prevent in the home, said Koenig.

"Some of the major causes of death in children are traffic-related injuries, drowning, falls, fires and burns, choking and poisoning," Koenig said.

When decisions are made about allowing children to stay home alone after school or in the evening or weekends when parents work, officials stress the importance of making sure children are aware of potential dangers and how to react to them.

Mary Gosche, a human development specialist for University of Missouri Extension in Perryville, conducts training sessions with children and parents to help them make decisions about staying home alone and to be prepared for emergencies.

Gosche said there is no magic age when a children are ready to care for themselves, though children under the age of 10 are generally too young to supervise younger siblings, and children under the age of 6 are too young to be left in the care of a brother or sister.

Before a child is left alone, there needs to be some indication that the child has a desire and willingness to be alone. Children who are able to get ready for school on time, solve problems on their own, complete homework and chores with a minimum supervision, and remember to tell parents where they are going and when they will be back are demonstrating some of the skills they will need to care for themselves, Gosche explained.

The child should also be able to anticipate and avoid danger.

But even if a child seems ready for self care, it is important the youngster feels secure in the neighborhood and has easy access to adults in case of emergency.

Keys to the house should never be hidden but instead carried by the child in a hidden pocket or backpack.

Self care isn't a good idea, according to Gosche, if the house is isolated or the neighborhood is unsafe.

Koenig said if children are allowed to use kitchen appliances, such as a microwave, they should be instructed in proper use such as the type of plates to use that are microwave safe, and what to do if there is a fire.

Other major causes of household injuries are falls, which are especially harmful to young children. To avoid falls, Koenig said it is important that clutter be kept under control and that stairs be well lighted.

With school starting again, Bowerman encouraged parents to talk with children about safety going to and from school. Each year, 1,000 children 14 and under die in pedestrian accidents.

For children walking to school, parents should find the safest route and walk it with children. They should also teach children to obey all traffic signals and markings, make sure children are trained to look both directions before crossing the street, instruct them to avoid walking between parked cars and cross at a corner or crosswalk and make sure they are extra alert in bad weather.

For children riding buses, they should arrive at the stop at least five minutes early, stay out of the street and avoid horseplay, always wait for parents on the same side of the street as the bus loading/unloading zone, and cross at least 10 feet in front of the bus.

Bowerman said children riding bicycles must also follow proper guidelines and be instructed not to ride if the weather is bad or they are delayed and it is after dark.

Parents driving children to school should also take safety precautions and make sure children are picked up and dropped off as near the building as possible.

To ensure children are safe, parents are urged to spend some time before school begins discussing safety with children and make sure they take proper precautions.

One of the best ways for parents to promote good safety practices is by setting a good example.