Summer is winding down and school will be starting soon. That does not mean we are clear of the dog days of summer just yet. As the summer heat continues, it is important to remain alert to children and car safety. The U.S. Department of Transportation has indicated that heatstroke is the number one cause of vehicle-related deaths of children, outside of car crashes. Are you familiar with the signs and symptoms of heatstroke? Would you know how to help if you found a child in a hot car?

Guest writer Lisa G. Kropp is the Youth Services Coordinator at the Suffolk Cooperative Library System in Bellport, NY and a member of the Association for Library Service to Children’s Liaison with National Organization Committee.

La escritora invitada, Lisa G. Kropp es la Coordinadora de Servicios Juveniles del Sistema Cooperativo de Bibliotecas de Suffolk en Bellport, NY y es un miembro del Comité de Intermediarios entre la Asociación para Servicios de Bibliotecas para Niños y Organizaciones Nacionales.

El verano ha llegado, y su hijo estará pasando más tiempo al aire libre mientras  esté en el cuidado de niños. Usted querrá asegurarse de que su proveedor de cuidado de niños haya tomado medidas de seguridad adecuadas en su rutina diaria. Como padre, usted puede compartir con su proveedor las preocupaciones que tenga acerca de la seguridad de su hijo, y su proveedor debería hacer que la seguridad sea de mayor prioridad. Hable con su proveedor de cuidado sobre los siguientes temas:

Summer is nearing, and your child may spend more time outdoors while in child care. You will want to make sure your child care provider has proper safety measures in place in their daily routine. As a parent, you are entitled to express concerns regarding your child's safety to your provider, and your provider should make safety the highest priority. Talk with you provider about:

Last week PBS NewsHour aired a story about child care and featured three families whose stories represent millions of others in the United States today; the story of families who find it is sometimes more affordable not to work, than to pay for child care, and the quality of child care they can afford.