Policies and Procedures Manual Updated
The P&P on the Web site has been updated. It will also available as a downloadable .pdf under Resources. There are so many updates, including the new organization management component and Spanish language certification course, that no replacement pages are provided.
Updated Policies: Minimum age for national certification
The minimum age requirement for
Any individual who is under the age of 18 and attends a course will not be certified, and any certification granted under false pretences will be immediately revoked. No refunds will be issued.
Individuals under 18 will be eligible to take the course again when they are at least 18 years of age. Upon successfully completing all requirements, they will be certified.
Already certified? Any currently certified technicians who are less than 18 years of age, and who maintain their certification, will not be affected. The minimum age applies only to new candidates.
Other activities: People under 18 are encouraged to support local
- Helping to set up or take down a community car seat check up event
- Acting as a scribe
- Babysitting
- Promoting events
- Helping with mailings
- Confirming appointments
- Assisting in the course behind the scenes, such as setting up lunch or refreshments
- Taking an awareness course and answering questions at an exhibit table
Any person who wishes to become certified who will not be 18 years of age when the course starts may submit a written request using the standard Appeals Cover Page on our Web site under Resources--> Forms.
This policy was unanimously approved by the National CPS Board at the January meeting, and we believe it adds credibility to the program.
What’s new with Safe Kids Customer Service…
In order to better serve your needs, CPS Customer Service is happy to announce that more staff and enhanced services have been added. If you call Customer Service and have a comment about the response you get, please ask for Jennifer Dailey, the Customer Service supervisor. She will gladly try to help find a solution to any unresolved issues, and would be happy to hear about positive experiences you have with your call to us.
Leaving a voicemail message
Callers will no longer be required to leave a voicemail message. You can leave only your name and a phone number where you can be reached. Should you want to leave a message however, you can leave one along with your name. When leaving your phone number, remember, you MUST enter 1 before the area code and your 7 digit phone number. As soon as a Customer Service Representative becomes available our system will automatically call you back! This new enhancement in our phone system will allow us to return your call far more quickly than before. These callbacks will begin at 11:00 am Eastern time in consideration of our west coast customers. Three attempts will be made to contact you and then the system will classify your request as unreachable.
If you have left a callback request and we do not contact you within one full business day, and you still need assistance, please call us back, or send an e-mail to cps.certification@safekids.org. You are welcome to send an e-mail at any time for a customized response.
Unfortunately, if you don’t enter a 1 and your area code, or enter a number that is not answered, we will be unable to reach you. Please remember to enter the 1 before your area code and use a number that is always answered.
Response time
The CPS Customer Service line experiences varying call volumes depending on the time of day, day of the week, and time of the year. New reporting systems will enable us to track these trends and then project our customer service needs more accurately so that we can assist you just as soon as possible.
FAQs While You Wait
The CPS Customer Service line tries to assist you quickly by providing responses to frequently asked questions as an option when you call. If you have a question that you think could be addressed here, and you do not hear an option that is responsive, please let us know and we will try to add it.
E-mail Expiration Notifications Sent Out In Error
On February 24 we inadvertently sent out a number of e-mails with future expiration dates stating that the certification had expired. As long as the date has not passed, your certification was not affected. You are welcome to check out your online profile to see that you are still certified.
EXAMPLE:
Your CPS certification is now expired. Your expiration date was 04/01/2007. To renew your certification, you may take the one-day Certification Renewal Course.
For more information on re-certification and certification renewal, please visit our Web site, www.safekids.org/certification.
Sincerely,
National Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Certification
Safe Kids Worldwide
We have been working closely with our programmer to identify this glitch and avoid a repeat performance. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
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.
This 20-question survey should take no more than five minutes to complete. There is no limit to the number of times you can share your opinions with us. Thank you for helping us improve our customer service.
Re-Certification Reminder
Don’t Risk Your Certification—You may re-certify up to four months before your certification expiration date.
- Seat checks may be logged at any time during your certification cycle and must be approved before you can register for re-certification.
- You may complete registration up to 4 months in advance of your certification expiration date. Registration MUST be completed by your certification expiration date.
Once your re-certification registration is processed, you will have 30 days to complete the online exam. The test does not have to be completed by your certification expiration date.
If your test is never started, inadvertently submitted or incomplete when the term expires, it will be graded and you won’t get your money refunded.
TECH UPDATE Distribution
The Winter 2006 edition of the TECH UPDATE is being mailed out now. It is also available on the CPS Board Web site.
The TECH UPDATE will only be available electronically beginning with the Spring 2006 edition. It will be e-mailed to all currently certified individuals, available for download on the
Because some technicians may not have easy access to a computer or printer, limited hard copies will be available. Please contact Deborah Trombley at Trombled@nsc.org for more information.
End-user Operational Group Continues
Last year, Safe Kids organized an operational group of end-users of the certification system to recommend ways to make the day-to-day use of the system more user-friendly. As we made improvements, this group helped us with implementation, so that the system works well for instructors and technicians.
We had wonderful responses and have worked with three groups. Their tenure is over, so please consider signing up for a three-month term. We are seeking three technicians and three instructors. The group will meet by monthly conference call starting in March 2006. Membership will rotate to keep the group fresh and allow as many people as are interested to participate.
Interested? E-mail Kerry Chausmer with a statement (three paragraphs maximum) about your history with CPS certification programs and why you would like to be involved with this group.
Course Finalization
Your roster must be accurate by the end of the first day of the course. If someone arrives and they are not on your course roster, please have them contact CPS Customer Service or register online ASAP.
Please take care when entering grades for a course. Before clicking on SUBMIT, double check that everyone is marked appropriately as ABSENT or correctly graded.
WHY? Having incorrect finalization entries or submitting tests when people are not on the roster delays certification course finalization. Certification course completion letters are sent when the course is finalized. Problems with certification course grades or an incomplete roster will delay the everyone's letters.
When you submit grades for a Renewal Course, it triggers a request for each passing student to get online test information. Please remind them to be on the lookout for their online test information (emailed, mailed, posted in profile). As people complete their online exam, pass/fail letters will be sent individually.
CRS Manufacturer CD
The SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. CD with the child restraint manufacturers' instructions and summary sheets for April 1996-September 2005 were mailed to all certified instructors (as of 1/27/2006). CDs were also sent to the State Highway Safety Offices.
Limited quantities may be available in the future. Keep checking the CPS Express for updates.
These CDs are no longer provided to technician candidates or new instructors. (See article in January 1, 2006 CPS Express for more details.)
Submitted By Carole Guzzetta, NHTSA (Washington, DC)
NOTE: To purchase the CD, or for more information, contact SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A.
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.
Q: On the Evenflo Express Combo seat the model number is 3182198P1, what is the significance of the P1 in the model number?
Answer provided at the end of this newsletter.
Submitted by Lew Moquin, Hurley Medical Center (Flint, Mich.)
National CPS Board Curriculum Committee
E-mailed updates
For e-mailed updates from the CPS Board on the curriculum, register on their Web site: http://www.cpsboard.org/.
January 2006 Update
The first meeting of the new 2006 Board was held in January. New members selected committees for involvement and have already begun work. The Curriculum Committee welcomes:
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Sharon Bilbrey
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Emilie Crown
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Yvonne Holguin-Duran
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Kristen Allen
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Paul Rizzo
We also want to thank outgoing board members who have volunteered to stay on the project until completion:
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Angela Osterhuber
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Susan Helms
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Marilu Montalvo
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Ann Burton
The revised curriculum has a mantra of Learn, Practice, Explain that resonates throughout each course chapter. We are asking serious questions about what students need to take away from each chapter be it a skill, concept or expression of a key safety point. Before an element is accepted for a slide or activity, we ask:
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Can the student learn “need to know” over “nice to know” key safety elements or concepts from the chapter?
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Has the student learned to use the manual as a point of reference?
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Can the student practice the desired skill or explain the concept sufficiently to the teaching team through a hands-on activity or written activity?
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Can the student practice saying and demonstrating everything necessary to explain an “outside the car,” curbside installation involving parents?
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Does the student have ample time to explain what they know to build competent parents?
NHTSA has contracted with a curriculum development company to take the slides, video, pictures, hands-on activities, tests and teaching tools developed by our technical team to evaluate them for core competencies and turn them into user-friendly student/instructor materials. This is the projected process for completion:
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Submit first draft to curriculum specialist to evaluate:
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Objectives
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Reading level
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Tests
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Simultaneous work on both English and Spanish curricula
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Draft revision
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Field/peer review through CPS volunteers
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Pilot testing of materials and evaluations/tests
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NHTSA review and approval
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Roll out and outreach: Spring 2007!
Attention Safe Ride News Standard Set Fact Sheet Purchasers
It has come to our attention 1 sheet (Boosters, B3, in both English and Spanish) in the Standard Fact Sheet need to be replaced and one sheet has an incorrect publish date.
Replacement CD's were sent out priority mail Thursday, February 23.
Printed master sheets should be sent out mid-week.
Contact Safe Ride News if you have any questions.
Submitted by Nancy Beaumont, Safe Ride News (Seattle, WA)
What is an affiliate? (added Dec. 15, 2005)
Affiliates are members of an organization who allow that organization manager to view their contact and certification information. Affiliates are able to pay their fees online with this organization's purchase orders or e-vouchers if these numbers are provided to them by the organization manager.
Why should I register my organization with the new Safe Kids organization management system? (added Dec. 15, 2005)
Registering your organization allows you to:
- Better track affiliates certifications
- Allow your affiliates to pay for courses, re-certification or instructor candidacy online using your organization’s POs and/or e-voucher
- Register your affiliates for courses and manage those registrations (e.g. reschedule, cancel, substitut
Details on the new system are available on the CPS certification home page under organization management.
Step by step instructions with screen shots are available on the CPS certification home page under Resources--> Instructions.
CPS Nerd Answers
Q: On the Evenflo Express Combo seat the model number is 3182198P1, what is the significance of the P1 in the model number?
A: P1 designates that the seat was manufactured on the first shift of the plant, P2 is second shift, and there was a time at Evenflo where they ran a third shift (P3).
Submitted by Lew Moquin, Hurley Medical Center (Flint, Mich.)
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
mailto:cps.certification@safekids.org