Discover Parenting 2014 Student Project Awards
Take a look at the Powerpoint presentation of 2014 USEP-OHIO Discover Parenting Project entrants and winners.
The 2014 Discover Parenting entrants in both the Photo and Action Project categories, chosen by their teachers and Ohio school students to participate, include a wide range of subject matter. They reflect both new issues, urgent messages of safe and thoughtful parenting and recent research crucial for parents to know how to protect their children 24/7 at home, in the community and on our streets and highways. Every entrant’s offering is thoughtful and teaches responsibility and safety.
First Place Winner
"Safety is as Simple as A B C - Always Be Careful!"
Taylor Wade
Upper Valley Career Center, Sidney OH
Teacher – Bev Holthaus
Taylor’s photo represents a great accomplishment – improvement. This great photo shows an intense youngster, correctly seated and belted, according to Ohio law, that represents the best practices for parents safely seating their precious cargo. Taylor first taught us to “know safety”. But she has taken that to another level by showing the foundation for safety is its constancy – ABC! It is a great caption – simple, direct and clever. It is a clear and precise teaching tool to share with others.
Of course, ALWAYS BE CAREFUL! It only takes a moment of carelessness to make a child vulnerable. Many of us become more careful about life, when first experiencing the challenge of having a precious child to protect. ABC is the foundation for parent safety.
Great caption, great photo!
Second Place Winner
"Look Left, Look Right, Make Mommy Bright!"
Krystal Null
Benjamin Logan High School, Belle Center, OH
Teacher – Lois Stoll
This photo and caption depict the best of parent involvement. Mommy is actively teaching and reinforcing her child’s understanding of one of the most basic skills of Pedestrian Safety – crossing the street at an intersection. Where better to begin than in the neighborhood. Using her voice and her body movements to model the skills of staying safe on the curb, looking both ways and finally crossing, she gives her daughter clear steps to safely cross. Successful parenting includes the skill of modeling movement and practice with plenty of repetition for skill development. Children whose parents demonstrate can learn. But children whose parents take time to repeatedly model, experience the task WITH the child and reinforce by acting it out at home and then out in the environment, learn and acquire a deeper mastery of that skill.
Third Place Winner
"Buckled In is the Only Way to Go!”
Lindsey Logan
Upper Scioto Valley High School, Alger OH
Teacher – Deborah Baker
This great photo of a child safe in a booster seat is a clear example of the critical nature of correct installation of seats for older children. Having a certified seat that meets the standards set by NHTSA will keep this happy girl safe throughout her journey. American youngsters spend increasing amounts of time safely seated in the family automobile as they travel to and from caregivers, school, errands and family trips. Taking care as we select these seats can mean keeping our children injury free in a crash. Always consult your local Child Passenger Safety expert when you have questions about seat selection. Traveling with their children is a privilege and can be a great pleasure for parents. And a happy youngster with a safety conscious parent is one of the blessings of our freedom to roadway access. Enjoy it!
Honorable Mention
"No Buckle No Chuckle"
Madisyn Jernigan-Cook
Newton High School, Bradford, OH
Teacher – Patsy Burnside
Madisyn caught this youngster at a very happy moment! What a happy passenger! We see the chuckle and the caption reminds us of the dire consequences of not properly buckling. “No Buckle No Chuckle” is the positive side of an ominous thought. There are still way too many children who are not properly seated and belted in cars even in Ohio. Our early childhood education experts tell us that children are still totally unbelted, sometimes held on laps, or incorrectly restrained in an improperly installed seat. The result is that these children are at great risk of injury and death. The Brain Injury Association (BIA) continues to tell us that children are often brain injured when they slip from a car seat upon impact in a crash.
Honorable Mention
“One...Two...Safe With You...Both Girls Ready to Travel, Too!”
Stephanie Bryant
Upper Valley Career Center, Sidney, OH
Teacher – Bev Holthaus
This unusual photo illustrates two youngsters – an infant in a rear facing seat; and an older child in the front facing child seat appropriate for her age. It is critical that the seats be correctly installed and tethered in order to hold them secure in the automobile seat. Active children of various ages need the freedom to move in their seats, but must be held securely to assure they cannot slip out in the force of a crash. Happy and safe travels!
Discover Parenting 2014 Project Information:
Additional Notes on the 2014 photos
It was increasingly difficult to choose a ranking for this year’s Discover Parenting. Due to a tie, we even added a second Honorable Mention Winner and will offer both the ranking and prize award. We have many students whose photos were not chosen for an award. We want to congratulate them for being creative, thoughtful, original, and for the critical thinking they have done in creating their entries. They represent safety in the home, safe handling by their parents, and even areas we have not represented in the past. With changing times, better technology and more research, the ideas and responsibilities of safe handling change and need to be altered in daily parenting practice! This has often affected child restraints in the automobile, and this year we had a photo noting the safety recommendation that crib bumpers be removed. We thank the teachers who have thoughtfully prepared their students for the task of being safe, responsible parents. Their guidance has helped prepare students for balancing home and family, and organizing their lives to accommodate others, not only their own needs. This project was used by the teachers to help fulfill the Ohio Content Standards for their curriculum. Congratulations to all! We hope your school, your community and local papers and newsletters will help you tell the story of your participation in Discover Parenting – 2014.
Click here to find a printable PDF with the latest Car Seat Recommendations for Children
Since the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended all babies should be placed on their backs to sleep in 1992, deaths from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome have declined dramatically. But sleep-related deaths from other causes, including suffocation, entrapment and asphyxia, have increased. Read more!
See – Newest Information and Laws In Our State for more regarding the AAP and NHTSA information. Go to CAR SEAT RECOMMENDATIONS for more information. Parents can be fined $25 to $75, plus court costs, for a first offense. Children from 4 to 8 years, who weigh more than 40 pounds and are less than 4 feet 9 inches tall must be in a booster seat. They can still use a car seat, rather than a booster, at the older age, if the seat has been approved for the child’s weight. Younger children must be in car seats under Ohio law, and older children and adults in seat belts. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for children age 4 to 8 in Ohio, according to AAA. Eighty-nine were killed and more than 21,000 injured in auto accidents between 2002 and 2007 in Ohio alone. Their chances of being harmed in an accident dropped by 59 percent if they were in booster seats and seat belts, according to one study.