History
The Original Safety Town program was established in 1937 by Mansfield, Ohio Police Commissioner Frend Boals and Kindergarten Teacher Ruth Robbins after a small child had been killed in a traffic accident. It was offered as free program to children entering kindergarten and focused on pedestrian safety. In 1964, under the leadership of Dorothy Chlad, the National Safety Town Center was formed in Bedford, Ohio with comedian Bill Cosby serving as honorary chairman. Throughout the years, the program has incorporated lessons relevant to children including stranger awareness and gun safety. It is now a two-week program with 3 sessions a year. Each day has a safety theme that is taught by qualified teachers who use age-appropriate aids such as movies, songs, games and crafts to instill each lesson. Since its inception by the Mansfield Police, it has been modeled throughout the United States and the world, mainly through the efforts of volunteers of the national safety town center. It celebrated its 75th Anniversary in Mansfield in 2012. The goal of safety town is to prevent injury, trauma or death to small children.
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