'Safety Town' Returning To Temecula

TEMECULA, CA — A simulated tiny town, complete with miniature buildings, pedal cars and street lights, will be temporarily constructed at Pauba Valley Elementary School in Temecula next month in an effort to help keep young kids safe.

"Safety Town" is the name given to the replica village created to instruct children about safety measures, including lessons about fire, pedestrians/traffic, water, guns, poisons/drugs and more.

Safety Town was founded by Ohio policeman Frend Boals in 1937 as a traffic safety education program for pre-kindergarten youth. The program was expanded and updated by nursery school teacher Dorothy Chlad in 1964 in Bedford, Ohio, as a comprehensive safety education program.

This year's Safety Town at Pauba Valley Elementary is sponsored by the Temecula Sunrise Rotary Club. It marks the 19th year the program has been offered in the Temecula Valley, according to the Rotary.

The five-day Safety Town curriculum will be offered from 9 a.m. to 11:30 am. June 19-23 and again June 26-30 for children ages 5 through 8.

The curriculum will be taught in conjunction with Temecula police and fire departments, as well as teachers. Children will learn about safety and then be placed in staged situations involving strangers, streets, fire, bikes and water. Other safety topics covered will be poison and drug prevention, emergency 911, animal and gun safety, electrical safety, and disaster preparedness, according to the Rotary.

“Of all the projects Temecula Sunrise Rotary has for the youth in our community, Safety Town is easily the most important and the most rewarding,” Temecula Sunrise Rotary President Roger Weber said in a released statement. “We sponsored middle school and high school students to Rotary leadership camps this year, we are giving thousands of dollars in scholarships to local graduating seniors, and we have prize-winning Rotary Music Competition winners, just to name a few ways we support our local youth. But our club is most proud of our many years of presenting Safety Town. This year’s event definitely is going to be the best yet. Since the registration fees do not begin to cover costs, it is our club’s contribution to the community to help make our children safe.”

Enrollment in the five-day curriculum is $50 per child and $45 for each sibling; no child will be turned away, according to the Rotary.

Early registration is recommended. To receive a flyer and registration form, call registrar Marti Treckman at 951-698-6116.