Copyright © 2000 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

CHILDREN'S SAFETY is a priority at the Cherokee Nation Early Childhood Unit Head Start and Early Head Start Programs. These are children crawling under a blanket being used to simulate smoke. The children were taught to crawl to safety. This was a part of the training done by Nick Purkey of the Tahlequah Fire.

TAHLEQUAH, OK - The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) Early Childhood Head Start/Early Head Start programs held their 9th Annual Health, Safety and Fitness Fairs for the northern centers April 6, at the Pryor City Park, and for the southern centers April 14, at the Murrell Home Park south of Tahlequah. These split fairs have been held for four years because of the large number of children attending Head Start/Early Head Start.

The Health, Safety and Fitness Fairs are held each year to give Head Start/Early Head Start staff and children and the public in the northern and southern counties information and to participate in activities that will teach them about different health, safety and fitness issues, along with nutrition issues.

Attending this year's fairs were nearly 500 children ages of 3 to 5 years, along with their parents and younger siblings and teachers and the public alike, from throughout the 11 counties of the tribe's 14 county jurisdictional area that Head Start/Early Head Start serves. The children and their families learned about fire safety, how to prevent forest fires, how to prevent electrical fires, car safety and what health foods to eat.

"These fairs are more about safety and encourage the children not to panic during an emergency," said Lynn Davis, quality assurance specialist and coordinator for the Health, Safety and Fitness Fairs. "The fairs also help children to be prepared in situations that may cause adults to panic when the situation happens."

The Health and Safety Fairs began in 1991 when the centers did health screenings for the children.

"The teachers got together and decided that it would be more informational to have more community organizations such as the police department, fire department and other city officials so Health Fairs the children could learn more about the different types of safety and encourage the kids not to be afraid of those officials, Davis said. "The children need to know that the people in the uniforms are hear to help them."

Nick Purkey of the Tahlequah Fires Department said he enjoyed teaching the children, letting them know how to get away from a fire.

"This is a critical age for children to learn to stop, drop and roll, if their clothes catch on fire, Purkey said. "This is the kind of knowledge we want our kids to learn and keep with them for the rest of their lives."

Advantages for having these fairs are that the children learn all these safety, health, nutrition and fitness information and go home and tell their entire family about what they have learned while attending the fairs.

"The kids go home and tell their family about these fairs and this is one way to reach the parents, grandparents, and other siblings, so they can be involved with their children, brother, sister, etc.," said Verna Thompson, Early Childhood Unit director.

Presenters during the fairs included the Tahlequah Fire Department, Cherokee Nation Risk Management, Oklahoma Department of Forestry, Cherokee Nation WIC, Cherokee Nation EMS, Cherokee Nation Jack Brown Center, Claremore Dental Clinic, Cherokee Nation Risk Management and the Early Childhood Unit Nutrition Program.

The Early Childhood Unit Health, Safety, and Fitness Team treated the children and presenters to lunch. The team includes Lynn Davis, quality assurance specialist and team leader; Randall Hicks, transportation coordinator; and Stephanie Lucas, Kathy Webb and Robin Allen, all quality assurance specialists.