PUBLISHER'S CORNER
KIDS ARE IN OUR FUTURE TONY CORPIN, PUBLISHER L
ast October my wife shared some amazing news. She was pregnant. Wow! We had been blessed with a new baby on the way. It’s been a blast for both of us getting ready but it’s now time to fin- ish off those last-second items before my baby girl is due to arrive on June 9, when many of you will be reading this article. One thing I’m tasked to do is installing our car seat and base. Have
you ever seen how complicated these things are to properly install? I have a newfound respect for certified child passenger safety technicians. I plan to invest in their services
after my failed attempts to secure my daughter's car seat properly. Also, I plan to pay extra special attention at this year’s STN EXPO pre-conference session, the NHTSA Child Seat Safety Workshop on Saturday, July 26. With experienced industry professionals like Charley Kennigton, Sue Shutrump and Cheryl Wolf, I’m sure I will learn a thing or two. In preparing for our daughter's pending arrival, we took a series of childbirth classes offered by our hos-
pital, Kaiser Permanente. Te registered nurse who taught the classes said that the majority of child safety seats were not properly installed. She even described a horrific traffic accident that resulted in an infant becoming a paraplegic. It was a very tragic story and a pointed lesson on the value of a properly installed child safety seats. I received that message loud and clear!
“I have a newfound respect for certified child passenger safety technicians. I plan to invest in their services after my failed attempts to secure my daughter's car seat properly.”
Our family and friends have all been very supportive and overjoyed with excitement about our baby girl’s arrival. Also another exciting moment happened on May 14 when my nephew was born, so now I’m an uncle to two amazing little guys. I’m sure you can relate as a proud aunt, uncle, mother, father, grandma or grandpa. Kids are a precious gift that we are blessed with in our lives. It’s a special moment when you get that smile or those precious words like “I love you.” Tis led me to ask myself: How many children are being born on an annual basis? After all, they are
future customers of the yellow school bus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a National Vital Statistics report showed that 3,952,841 births were registered in the U.S. in 2012. Also to note, slightly fewer births (749) were registered than in 2011, which tallied 3,953,590. Te number of births declined between 2011 and 2012 in seven states: Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia,
Illinois, Mississippi, New Hampshire and New Jersey. Meanwhile, births increased in six states: Arizona, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, North Dakota and Texas. Te rate was essentially unchanged in the 37 remaining states and the District of Columbia. Granted, these kids are only two or three years old now, but in a few more years they will be riding a
school bus. Tis data shows a flat trend, which is a different subject for another day. But it still tells the story of a consistent flow of new children into our schools. And transportation will play a vital role in ensuring all of our kids can grow and flourish. I look forward to the day when my little girl gets on the school bus for the first time with joy and excite- ment. It's a memory my wife and I will treasure. l
66 School Transportation News June 2014
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