ASHLAND – With new bicycle helmets on their heads and smiles on their faces, about 30 incoming kindergarteners from the Ashland community learned about traffic safety and met a police officer Tuesday.
It was the first day of a new Safety Town program organized and led by the Ashland chapter of Kiwanis International.
The first Safety Town started 1937 in Mansfield by traffic commissioner Frend Boals and kindergarten teacher Ruth Robbins. The pair designed the program to teach traffic safety to pre-kindergarten children.
Today, more than 1,170 Safety Town programs are held throughout the county, according to National Safety Town Center.
Recognizing it had been years since Ashland had a Safety Town, local Kiwanis club members decided to revive the program. They raised money, put together curriculum and supplies and then served as volunteers for the three-day program.
On Tuesday, youngsters in the program sang along with Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce’s Jacob Coffy, who referred to himself as “Safety Jake” and taught the kids a song about the meanings of red, yellow and green on a traffic light.
Then the kids divided up into three groups and rotated through three stations.
At one station, children practiced their new traffic light knowledge as well as other traffic rules. At another, kids interacted with Ashland Police Officer Lee Eggeman and his K9. At the third station, participants worked with Ashland Public Library staff to make police dog puppets.
Wednesday’s lineup of activities includes a visit from Ashland Fire Department, another craft and a second traffic safety session.
Thursday, the kids will hear an anti-bullying message, learn about poison control from the American Red Cross and practice traffic safety one last time before “graduating” from the program.
Amy Daubenspeck and Jennifer Washock, who co-chair the Kiwanis Safety Town committee, said they could not have pulled off the program without the generous support of the Ashland community.
“Pretty much anybody we asked, they said yes,” said Daubenspeck.
Donors, including Samaritan Hospital Foundation and Ashland County Community Foundation, contributed about $4,000 to help the club buy a new street scene tarp for the traffic safety lessons.
Construction students at Ashland County-West Holmes Career Center refurbished some of the model buildings used by a prior safety town program. Their peers in the career center’s robotics program got the old traffic light working again.
With money from Donley Ford of Ashland, the club bought balance bikes from Ashland Bike Company. The local bike shop secured a discount from its vendor and allowed Kiwanis to purchase the bikes at cost. Schoonover Industries made license plates for the bikes.
Ashland County Park District offered storage space for the materials, which club members hope to use for years to come.
The Salvation Army Kroc Center provided the venue at no cost and contributed a helmet for each child. Ashland Board of Realtors sponsored t-shirts.
Former Safety Town director Diane Brown gave pointers to the new crew of volunteers.
Though this year’s session of Safety Town is full, Kiwanis club members encourage parents of preschool-aged children to start thinking now about signing up their children for next year’s program. Information about Safety Town will be provided in kindergarten registration packets.
The club is already talking about finding ways to expand the program to add new stations and accommodate more kids.
