MISSION – The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation’s (CTUIR) Family Engagement Program, Education Department and Umatilla Tribal Police Department (UTPD) will host a Car Seat Safety Event on Sept. 24 at the Átaw Miyánašma Learning Center.

Samantha Dalrymple – an early childhood collaborative assistant with CTUIR’s Department of Children and Family Services, which contains Family Engagement – said Family Engagement, the Átaw Miyánašma Learning Center, Cay-Uma-Wa Head Start and UTPD will host an informative event surrounding car seat safety as part of National Child Passenger Safety Week (Sept. 20-26).

“This event is to bring awareness to the importance of child passenger safety in an effort to bring about collaboration within the community to ensure the safety of our children as well as reducing barriers families may face when accessing proper car seat safety and usage information,” Dalrymple said. “It will also provide knowledge for future planning for parents and caregivers such as being the transport for children when they are with another relative or caregiver.”

The event is scheduled for 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. during the Átaw Miyánašma Learning Center’s open house and Cay-Uma-Wa Head Start’s open enrollment. The center is located inside the Nixyáawii Community School at 46250 Timíne Way.

“At the event we will have a variety of tables set up with different information and activities regarding certain aspects to car seat safety,” Dalrymple said. “For example, we will have ROTH ID tags to fill out and place on a child’s seat.”

A ROTH ID Tag is a Child Passenger Safety Technician‑approved emergency identification system that attaches to a child’s car seat and can be removed by first responders to become an ID wristband containing the child’s name, medical info and up to three emergency contacts.

Dalrymple said dinner will be provided for guests on a first-come, first-served basis. She added that along with dinner, guests can visit activity tables and receive stamps on raffle tickets they will receive. Once they have completed each activity, they can submit their tickets for a drawing that includes several car seats and other car safety related items.

“There are four car seats that all support different growth stages as well as other prizes that will be raffled off,” Dalrymple said. “Two car seats are four-in-one seats, and two are three-in-one seats that move to a backless booster seat.”

With this being CTUIR’s first such event, she said she hopes Family Engagement can continue it on an annual basis.

For information about the Car Seat Safety Event, call Dalrymple at 541-429-7812 or email samanthadalrymple@ctuir.org. For information about the Átaw Miyánašma Learning Center open house or Cay-Uma-Wa Head Start open enrollment, call Keysha Ashley at 541-429-7873 or email keyshaashley@ctuir.org.