• Announcements and Notices
• Renewal Course
• Reviewers Needed: Recertification 2007
• Program Reminders
• Customer Service Survey
• Recertification
• Upcoming Program Developments
• Just for Instructors
• Roster Reminder
• Teaching Hours
• Just for Fun
• CPS Resources
• CPS Technician manuals
• Share Your Knowledge!
• Dr. Seat Belt
• FAQ
• What is the National CPS Board?
• Contact Us

Renewal Course Going on Vacation in 2007

Since the Certification Renewal Course became available last summer, more than 290 courses have been offered in every state and the District of Columbia.  We appreciate the hard work of all the instructors, course administrators and technicians who have taken part in these courses.

If you or someone you know may be interested in taking advantage of this course, do not delay!  There will be a period of time when the renewal course will not be available in 2007. 

Since NHTSA is planning to update the Renewal Course to reflect the changes in the new course curriculum, it is only on hiatus and not permanently gone.  “We hope this delay doesn’t cause too much of an inconvenience to anyone, but I’m sure folks would agree that it’s important for the courses to complement each other,” said Carole Guzzetta of NHTSA. 

Renewal Courses will not be available after December 31, 2006 until the new Renewal Course materials are available.  “Our plan is to keep the delay in course offerings to a minimum, while insuring a quality document is produced,” Guzzetta added.

Any people with expired certifications wishing to take advantage of the Renewal Course, must attend and pass a course by December 31, 2006.  The after-class online tests, including the retake, will be provided to these students.  Because the online tests are being phased out (more on this in future editions of the CPS Express!) we will not be able to grant extensions for online exams for any reason.

Renewal Course Registration Tips

To register for a Certification Renewal Course, you must log into the system using your previously assigned username and password.  If you try to register and the system says you are not eligible, the most common problem is that you logged in as a new user.  If you did, your status will show as CONTACT rather than as EXPIRED in your online profile in the right column. 

If you have ever held national CPS certification, you already have a username and password.  If you log in as a new user instead, the system will show no record of your certification history. 

If you do not know your username or password, and you have the same email address you did when you were originally certified, try clicking on "Forgot Your Password?"  at the log in screen.  If your email has changed or this feature does not work for you, contact CPS customer service at cps.certification@safekids.org or toll-free at 877-366-8154.

Reviewers for 2007 Recertification Requirements

In response to an overwhelming number of requests from the field, the requirements to recertification will change in 2007.  The main difference will be the submission of six hours of continuing education units (CEU) instead of an online exam.

If you are interested in helping us develop the definition of an acceptable CEU, please fax the application to Kerry no later than August 4, 2006, 7 pm ET.  Requests received after that time will not be considered.

Everyone who submits a completed application with a printout of their online profile will be emailed the document for review by August 8.  Suggestions and comments will be accepted through August 11, 2006. 

We look forward to your participation!

CPS Customer Service Survey Available

Safe Kids is interested in your experiences with our CPS Customer Service by toll-free phone (877-366-8154) and cps.certification@safekids.org.  Please take a few minutes to complete the survey available on the certification Web site under Contact Us. 

Need a new wallet card?

You may have noticed a new action item in your CPS online profile that allows you to print your own wallet card whenever you'd like!  We are delighted to be able to offer this as an added service since we are not able to provide replacement cards.

This, along with the other program enhancements, comes at the request of technicians like you.  Please continue to let us know what you like or want with a quick, detailed e-mail.

Roster Review

Lead instructors must have an accurate roster by the end of the first day of any national certification, certification renewal or retake course.

If any students in your classroom do not appear on the roster, please have them register online (except in a retake course where the LI for the certification course has to register the student) or contact CPS Customer Service at (877) 366-8154.

When Safe Kids receives tests without a registration, we follow up and try our best to get the student to pay the course fee.  As you can imagine, this is extremely time-consuming and often futile. In addition, it creates general confusion and slows down certification services for everyone in the system.   If you are in a real crunch and are not able to get in touch with a customer service representative, you may call the Safe Kids office at (202) 662-0619.

We appreciate your hard work and know that the course roster is often the most time-consuming and frustrating part of settling up and teaching a course. 

Teaching Hours 

Reminder: When adding the teaching hours for your instructor team, please round to the nearest hour.

How many hours should you award?

Actual teaching hours for each instructor should be as accurate as possible to ensure appropriate credit for recertification. Once entered, these hours cannot be adjusted.

Teaching hours are based on the number of hours of lecture and participation in hands-on skills exercises and testing. You will need to round to the nearest whole hour. Just being in the classroom does not qualify for teaching hours. 

Example 1: You were a lead instructor with no lecture time, but participated in eight hours of hands-on work. You earned eight teaching hours.

Example 2: You were an assisting instructor with five hours of lecture and 10 hours of hands-on work (includes three hours working with students at the checkup). You earned 15 teaching hours.

Are You A CPS Nerd? Test Your Knowledge!

This section of the newsletter highlights trivia and facts about child passenger safety. Please submit your ideas to Kerry Chausmer. Be sure to include how you would like your name to appear.

What was the year, make and model of the first car with a passenger air bag intended for sale to the public?

Answer at the end of this newsletter.  

Are you using the latest manual?

Be sure you have the latest NHTSA manual, version HS 366 R5/04.  You can download from the CPS Board's Web site under TRAINING. The manual is a PDF file which allows you to search for terms or print your own copy.

You may chose to purchase the English or Spanish manual for $35 from the Safety Restraint Coalition. The price includes shipping to the contiguous 48 states. An order form is available at www.800bucklup.org/.  Proceeds will support Washington state's child passenger safety programs. 

A Tribute to "Our Dr. Seat Belt": Dr. Robert Sanders

Safe Kids Tennessee hosted Safe Kids Day on the Hill in Legislative Plaza, Nashville, Tennessee on April 26 in tribute to one or our nation's most important voices for child safety - Dr. Robert Sanders.

Dr. Sanders had seen what happens to children in automobile crashes when they were not restrained. He knew that so many of those injuries and deaths were preventable. And so he decided that someone had to speak out on behalf of children and their safety. Starting with the Tennessee General Assembly, he and his wife Pat spent countless hours presenting medical data. That perspective and their passion overcame initial doubts. In 1977, thanks to the vision and determination shown by Dr. and Mrs. Sanders, Tennessee became the first state to adopt a law mandating that all children under the age of 4 must ride in a child safety seat. State by state, the rest of the nation and the District of Columbia followed. Today, all 50 states require this protection for young children.

Dr. Sanders died on January 19 after a long illness. He leaves behind a legacy of fighting for the needs of others. Even after he fought the battle for child safety seats, he continued to speak out on issues such as the need for seat belt laws, health care reform and environmental protection. His work earned him the love and appreciation of citizens across Tennessee.

Dr. Sanders believed that every citizen has a responsibility to help others. He lived his life doing that every day. In addition to his public policy work, he was chief physician and director of the Rutherford County Health Department for 1969 until his retirement in 1991.

Dr. Robert Sanders, our "Dr. Seat Belt," will be missed by all who were fortunate to know him as a family man, neighbor, friend and an inspiration. Safe Kids Tennessee will continue to be a voice for children that Dr. Sanders so brilliantly echoed.

Submitted by Susan A. Helms R.N.,M.A.L.S., Executive Director, Safe Kids Tennessee
With excerpts from Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.)

What is the National Child Passenger Safety Board?

The CPS Board works collaboratively with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which has the ultimate authority over the curriculum, and with the certifying body (Safe Kids Worldwide), which has ultimate authority over the certification and re-certification processes. The Board channels insight from its representative organizations to NHTSA and the Certifying Body.

There are board representatives from related sectors, including medicine, law enforcement, the automobile industry, child restraint manufacturers, injury prevention experts and CPS advocates.

The Board Web site (www.cpsboard.org/) is the place to go for the latest curriculum updates, Tech Update, meeting minutes and contact information for Board members.  

What was the year, make and model of the first car with a passenger air bag intended for sale to the public?

In 1971, Ford built an experimental airbag fleet. General Motors tested airbags on 1973 Chevrolets that were only sold to the government. The 1973 Oldsmobile Toronado was the first car with a passenger air bag intended for sale to the public.

Source: http://inventors.about.com/od/astartinventions/a/air_bags.htm 

Questions? Comments? Concerns?

Safe Kids Worldwide
CPS Certification
1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20004

Phone: 877-366-8154 (toll free)
Fax: 202-393-2072
cps.certification@safekids.org