Safe and Sound at Safety Town

Look both ways before you cross the street.

Stop, drop and roll.

The number for an emergency is 9-1-1.

Everyone knows that, right? Well after the 200 safety town students finish their five-day program, they will know those tips too, and more!

"The kids really get a lot out of it," said Kathy Christ, Stow Youth Services director and safety town coordinator of 13 years said.

There are around 35 kids per group, and those groups are split into teams of six or seven, she said. Each table (which has a corresponding color) are helped by three to four volunteers. All volunteers are middle school-aged and older and work with the kids through their own volition, said Christ.

The day begins with bus crossing safety. The kids are taken off the school bus (donated by the ) and taught to wait for the bus driver's signal; look both ways and then cross when it's safe.

From there, the kids are split into their respective groups and some groups go practice bicycling and walking in the mock village, while others practice playground safety on the monkeybars and slide. The groups switch every so often so every child has an opportunity to learn safety in all respects, she said.

The mock village, located at , has been the location for the life-like scenario portion of Safety Town for three years. Prior to the town being built, the village was not as realistic.

"We used to use the basketball courts," Christ said. "We had these plywood mock buildings. This is a much nicer area."

The minature village has small buildings of Stow businesses like , and the . The funding for the buildings came from those companies to have their likeness place upon them, said Christ. Bellacino's also donates 30 large pizzas for the pizza party that Christ sets up for all the volunteers after Safety Town is done.

Safety Eduation Specialist Sandy Ray helps the program by teaching additional fire safety tips.

"This is a great age to start the kids," Ray said. "Kids at this age take safety very seriously. Kids go home and tell their parents that they need to check the batteries in the smoke alarms. It's a great gateway to the parents."

This summer, Stow Safety Town had 200 kids sign up for the program. There is a $40 fee to register a child, and the program is entirely funded through that cost.

For more information on Stow Safety Town, click here.