Preventing Injury: A Safety Curriculum. Preschool-Kindergarten.

The focus of this curriculum is on prevention of spinal cord injury (SCI) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). The program is aimed at young children because it is during the early years that behavioral patterns are formed which become increasingly more difficult to modify as the child enters adolescence. The curriculum is based on principles of child development, early childhood education, and prevention psychology. It is designed to increase children's perceptions of vulnerability to SCI or TBI, the severity of the problem, response efficacy, and self-efficacy; to help students gain enhanced understanding of cause-effect relationships and the rationale for safety principles; and to enhance the perception that safe behavior is smart. The curriculum includes behavioral rehearsal, practice, and interactive elements with reinforcement to enhance learning. This guide for preschool and kindergarten is organized into 8 units: Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Awareness, Motor Vehicle Safety, Pedestrian Safety, Bike Safety, Playground and Recreational Sports Safety, Preventing Falls, Weapons Safety, and Water Safety. The guide concludes with information on additional resources (films and videotapes, national programs, spinal cord injury care systems, traumatic brain injury care systems, and comprehensive head injury prevention and rehabilitation centers). The greater part of the curriculum is made up of reproducible illustrations for students. (LL)