Raising children can be a treasure and a joy, but it can also be trying, tiresome, and downright expensive. But fortunately having supportive networks, wisdom, and guidance, along with valuable resources child rearing can be made much easier.

Mineral County program assists with child safety seatsIn 2015, the United States Department of Agriculture released its Expenditures on Children by Families report, citing that the average cost of raising a child in America was $233,610. From birth through the age of 17, families spend in categories ranging from food, housing, health care, clothing, childcare and education, transportation, and miscellaneous. In 2023, the price has obviously increased with inflation, to more than $300,000 per child.

One small but vital area of expenses for a family falls into the transportation budget, specifically car seats for infants and young children. These seats range anywhere from $150 to upwards of $300, and families with multiple children can pay a hefty price tag. In addition to the financial strain on families outfitting their vehicles with appropriate safety seats for each kiddo, next comes the confusion and complexities of installing the car seats and understanding its proper usage.

That’s where the Mineral County Health Department can lend a helping hand. The MCHD has housed the Passenger Safety Seat program for over six years now. They have three Child Passenger Safety Technicians, and each of their CPST’s is certified to provide professional and personalized instruction on how to safely install a car seat in a vehicle and properly secure a child in the car seat.

April Quinlan is the Parents as Teachers Program Supervisor for the Mineral County Health Department. She explained that, “The focus of the Passenger Safety Seat program is to provide education and skills to families in Mineral County so that they can have knowledge and confidence in how to install their child’s car seats safely. CPS Technicians help parents navigate the nuances of each specific car seat such as adjusting the seat to fit the child, positioning the seat to fit the car, and troubleshooting any mismatches between the vehicle and the seat.”

MCHD can also provide car seats FREE of charge, to families if a car seat is needed. Quinlan remarked, “The only prerequisite for receiving a car seat is a meeting with a CPST for a car seat fitting and education around child passenger safety. In addition, if a car seat is purchased elsewhere, CPSTs at the Health Department are available to check the seats installation and provide safety education for families around their purchased car seat.”

Funding for the program comes from the Montana Department of Transportation and Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies of MT along with other grants through the local Health Department.

Numerous counties in Montana offer car seats and several different organizations participate such as fire and police departments. The Superior Volunteer Fire Department has certified CPSTs as well.

Quinlan said, “The Passenger Safety Seat Program provides car seats but its focus is on the education around car seats and how to safely install them. The education piece of our program could be utilized more.” She noted that although all car seats made in the USA are run through rigorous testing required by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, correct installation and usage is as important as the certification of the car seat itself.

“When a car seat is purchased by caregivers, we are more than willing to provide a quick check-up to ensure that the car seat is properly set up in the caregiver’s vehicle. Comfort, ease of installation, and lifestyle should be considered when purchasing a car seat,” stated Quinlan. “The Health Department is able to provide safe basic care seats, but ultimately, education is what we are trying to get out to the community. The car seat is only safe if the installation is correct.”

So far, throughout the program year, the Health Department has provided nine car seats to families in the community. Each of them came with installation by one of their CPSTs and education around child passenger safety seats for the family. MCHD has car seats available to accommodate both infants and children.

Quinlan shared, “Often a parent who uses other services offered by the MCHD will identify a need for a car seat. We occasionally have caregivers see posts on social media or they learn of our services by word of mouth.”

Although the cost of a car seat can sometimes be burdensome for a family, it’s rare that parents will opt to go without one entirely. Quinlan commented, “Generally, parents we talk with are concerned about what is best and most safe for their children. Children restrained in seats designed for their age/weight will be more comfortable and safer.”

She added, “We do get a number of questions about when it is appropriate for a child to graduate to a booster or seat belt. Rushing this rite of passage is very risky.” Booster seats have weight and height limitations for a reason. They are designed to keep growing young passengers safe in the event of a crash. Car seat belt systems and airbags are meant to stabilize an adult at least four feet tall and 80 pounds. If a child is under those limits the risk of injury increases if a car seat or booster seat is not utilized.

Quinlan stated, “Another safety issue that is often asked about is, the importance of having your child stay rear-facing in their car seat. Rear-facing car seat recommendations are based on the needs of a child’s developing brain.” The head of a child two and under is proportionally large compared with the rest of their body. If a young child is in a car crash, since most collisions come from front impact, sitting backward greatly reduces the stress on the neck and brain stem. She said, “We like to see kiddos stay rear-facing until at least two years of age if not longer. Again, this type of education provided by the CPS Tech can save lives.”

Ultimately Quinlan shared, “This program is meant to provide resources to all Mineral County families with no judgment or expectations attached. Our CPSTs love working with all families and always come from a place of education and connection with each family they work with. She affirmed, “The more people use safety seats, the more normalized the practice has become. Although we often see car seats improperly used, we rarely hear of people going without them all together.”

A family can make an appointment by calling the main Health Department number at 406-822-3564.The CPSTs at Mineral County Health Department provide a free car seat check-up event once a year as well as free check-ups with individuals upon request.

The Mineral County Health Department also runs a variety of pregnancy and family resources and programs. Many of these services are free and universal for all Mineral County families. Quinlan said, “Our goal is to make sure that every family in Mineral County knows about these resources/programs available to them and feels they can access them with ease.