Role of a State Coordinator
Just as great leaders connect the dots, great state coordinators connect people with goods and services. The job of a State Child Passenger Safety Coordinator is to wear many hats.
Communication
- Connect the public with state child passenger safety resources, including trainings, child passenger safety technicians, inspection stations and low-cost/no-cost car seats
- Answer questions concerning state child occupant protection laws and best practices
- Support and mentor new child passenger safety technicians, proxies and instructors
- Provide updates to child passenger safety technicians on state activities
- Cultivate cooperative relationships to support state child passenger safety activities
- Update CPSTs on State CPS activities
- Share car safety seat recall information with CPSTs
- Provide updates on changes to state child occupant protection law and most recent best practices
- Provide State CPS community leaders with a list of CPS Technicians, Instructors and Technician Proxies as requested. Sharing of contact information should follow State guidelines
- Designated State CPS Coordinators will be provided direct access to the CPS Certification database. State CPS Coordinators are listed here on NHTSA’s website.
State Highway Safety Office
- Promote CPS-related educational materials available through State Highway Safety Offices
- Promote State Highway Safety Office mini-grant opportunities for supplies, equipment and trainings to support local CPS education and outreach efforts
- Collect data on inspection station activities/seat checks and reports to State Highway Safety Offices
- Maintain training and fitting station information on State Highway Safety Office or State CPS web page
- Provide input on State Highway Safety Office documents such as the Highway Safety Plan, grant applications, annual report, and other child passenger safety and occupant protection informational materials
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Promote National Child Passenger Safety Week and National Seat Check Saturday checkup events, typically held the third week of September
- Collect and report data on National Child Passenger Safety Week activities and send data to State Highway Safety Office reps and NHTSA Regional CPS Coordinator, as requested
- Review NHTSA Child Car Seat Inspection Station listings and submits updates as needed to NHTSA Regional CPS Coordinator
- Ensure the “CPS Training Contacts by State” listing is updated for his/her state. Changes should be sent to the NHTSA Regional CPS Coordinator, who will notify NHTSA Headquarters and Safe Kids Worldwide to update CPS Technician database access
- Promote other traffic safety campaigns as deemed appropriate for target audiences
Safe Kids Worldwide Certification Program
- Serves as a point of contact on CPST certification and recertification processes
- Helps connect CPSTs with resources needed for recertification, including CEUs and seat sign-offs
- Serves as a point of contact for State CPS Trainings. This responsibility may differ greatly by State. Models may be as follows:
- State CPS Coordinator coordinates and schedules all or most certification and renewal courses through the Safe Kids Certification website
- State CPS Coordinator coordinates and awards mini-grants to cover certification and renewal courses throughout the state
- State CPS Coordinator maintains a training calendar
National Child Passenger Safety Board
- Promote Child Passenger Safety Technician, Instructor and Team of the Year Awards and serve as a reference for nominations from the respective State
- Promote National Child Passenger Safety Board vacancies and serves as a reference for applicants from the respective State
- Provide feedback on Standardized CPS Curriculum as requested
- Promote the Resources maintained by the National Child Passenger Safety Board