2023 National CPS Awards

Technician of the Year

Victoria Chandler

When Victoria Chandler started her new position as the injury prevention coordinator with the trauma services team at Ascension Via Christi, a teaching hospital in Wichita, Kan., she also started down another new path.

In 2020, she became a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician and took over as coordinator of the Safe Kids Wichita Area CPS program. She quickly gained experience working alongside her team during car seat check events at a local firehouse, while also building her reputation as a leader unafraid to answer the call during a period when COVID restrictions were in place.

By 2022, this “new kid” was being recognized as if an old child passenger safety hand. In fact, she was named the Kansas Child Passenger Safety Technician of the Year, and her Safe Kids Wichita Area agency was recognized as the Kansas Child Passenger Safety Station of the Year.

Today, Chandler is the recipient of the National Child Passenger Safety Technician of the Year award, presented by the National Child Passenger Safety Board. The award is sponsored by Toyota Motor North America.

To learn more about Victoria and her dedication to child passenger safety, download this Technician of the Year press release.

Clare Pfotenhauer

Instructor of the Year

During her first week on the job as an Illinois State Trooper, Clare Pfotenhauer was assigned to handle a rollover crash. She recalls hearing the frantic voice of a tow truck driver calling for help on the scene. Something was stuck under the dash, preventing him from engaging the driveshaft.

“The last thing I expected was to find a baby,” Pfotenhauer said. “No car seat, no diaper bag, nothing in or around the vehicle to indicate there could have been a child on board. This vision has always resonated in my mind. I knew I had to educate the general public and my fellow troopers about checking for children.”

Pfotenhauer’s passion for child passenger safety was born at 2:45 a.m. on the side of the road that day. Today, she is one of two recipients of the National Child Passenger Safety Instructor of the Year award, presented by the National Child Passenger Safety Board. The award is sponsored by Toyota Motor North America.

To learn more about Clare and her dedication to child passenger safety, download this Instructor of the Year press release.

Claudia Summers

Instructor of the Year

She was “voluntold” to get involved in child passenger safety. She experienced her first “aha” moment within the first hour of her first training course.

Claudia Summers was raising two boys. They were 3 and 1 at the time. “I realized if I wasn’t doing what was best for my children, then there were a lot of other caregivers in the same boat,” she said.

Fast forward to today.

Summers, a resident of Waxhaw, N.C., is one of two recipients of the National Child Passenger Safety Instructor of the Year award, presented by the National Child Passenger Safety Board. The award is sponsored by Toyota Motor North America.

To learn more about Claudia and her dedication to child passenger safety, download this Instructor of the Year press release.

Team of the Year

In Nebraska’s state ballad, these words are included in the second stanza:

’Cause the good life is there
With sun and fresh air
And neighbors who care

Count members of the Nebraska Child Passenger Safety Advisory Committee in that select group of neighbors who care. Since the committee’s inception more than two decades ago, they have worked to guide the state’s CPS programming and to ensure equal CPS training opportunities exist in counties across the state. In 2022, they proudly noted:

• Car seat use rate climbed to 95% – up from 56% in 1999
• 345 certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians worked to educate parents and caregivers on proper use of car seats, booster seats and seat belts
• The Technician recertification rate remained stable at about 65%

Today, the Nebraska Child Passenger Safety Advisory Committee is saluted for its efforts as the National Child Passenger Safety Team of the Year by the National Child Passenger Safety Board. The award is sponsored by Toyota Motor North America.

To learn more about the Nebraska Advistory Committee’s dedication to child passenger safety, download this Team of the Year press release.

2023 National CPS Awards

Download and share: Here is the full list of 2023 CPS awards winners and nominees.

Sponsors

The 2023 National CPS Awards are presented by the National Child Passenger Safety Board and sponsored by Toyota Motor North America. For more information about Toyota, visit  https://www.toyota.com/usa/