Newtown Youth & Family Services (NYFS) is bringing back Safety Town for its third summer, with the first session starting July 27.

Safety Town is a free weeklong program that is held daily for five two-hour classes. There will be two sessions: Week 1 will be held July 27-31, and Week 2 will run August 3-7. The program is held at the NYSF office, 15 Berkshire Road. Registration is available online at newtownyouthandfamilyservices.org.

Safety Town is a national program that was started in 1964 to teach young children about vital skills such as fire prevention, calling the police, and other emergency measures, according to Jennifer Brainard, NYFS program coordinator.

Safety Town was brought to Newtown only three years ago by Candice Bohr, the executive director of NYFS.

Though the program is national, not every town offers it. Registration for Safety Town in Newtown is open to all local children, though Ms Brainard said that most of the families who register are from Newtown.

Ms Brainard also says that registration fills up quickly.

There are a lot of repeat customers,” said Ms Brainard. “Kids come because their older brother or sister liked it so much.”

Safety Town has many benefits for children and parents alike, according to Ms Brainard.

In the program children learn to memorize their addresses and their important phone numbers in case of an emergency. Children also have fun in a way that teaches them potentially lifesaving information, and parents can be assured of their children’s enjoyment and education, said Ms Brainard.

Safety Town not only teaches safety knowledge, but classroom etiquette as well. Many children have not yet entered kindergarten, and classroom skills such as raising hands, inside voices, and sitting “crisscross applesauce” in a large group are reinforced, according to Ms Brainard. In groups, children are cycled through activities that include demonstrations, crafts, and games.

One of the main sponsors of Safety Town is the Newtown Prevention Council, according to Ms Brainard, and a lot of the program is done in conjunction with local resources. For example, Ms Brainard said, the police department, Parks & Recreation Department, Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue, and Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps all contribute.

Newtown Volunteer Ambulance provides a talk on the importance of calling 911 and explains the difference between an emergency vs nonemergency situation. The children are also taken on a tour of an ambulance, and they get to make their own first aid kit.

The police department provides demonstrations of traffic safety and pedestrian safety, according to Ms Brainard. A replica of Newtown is assembled in the NYFS parking lot, with smaller scale models of Newtown buildings and landmarks such as the flagpole, Edmond Town Hall, and the police department.

With the scale buildings assembled, according to Ms Brainard, children are then led through the “town” on bikes by police officers and taught about traffic safety, pedestrian safety, and the importance of road signs.

Newtown Parks & Recreation Department representatives go over the importance of water safety, such as the use of flotation devices and rules of the pool.

Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue representatives arrive with in a fire truck and go over the parts of the truck, emergency procedures, and discussing a “Safe Zone,” a place to meet with their parents in case of an emergency.

Each weeklong session ends with a graduation ceremony, Ms Brainard said, with children receiving certificates. Parents are invited to celebrate with their children.

“Parents love taking pictures with the certificates. I have a 2-year-old daughter, and I would eat up an opportunity like that,” said Ms Brainard.

Popularity for the program is increasing, and registration fills up faster each year, Ms Brainard said, adding her encouragement for families with young children to sign up quickly.