The Safety Detective Program: Evaluating a Community-Based Safety Intervention for Kindergarten Children

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a safety intervention for young children. The Safety Detective Program was designed to teach young children (4-6 years) about general home safety concerns, and to be delivered in a group setting. The aim of the program is to increase children’s knowledge and understanding of home safety hazards and injuries. The current study used a randomized group, pre-post design to evaluate the effectiveness of the Safety Detective Program. A photo sort task and follow-up interview was used to measure intervention (n = 93) and control (n = 43) group participants’ knowledge and understanding of home safety hazards before and after program delivery. Children in the intervention, but not the control, group exhibited significant gains in their knowledge and understanding of home safety hazards, indicating that the Safety Detective Program has the potential to improve the safety of young children.