Boosterseat Campaign Manuel Manual

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BUILDING A BOOSTER SEAT CAMPAIGN

A GUIDE FOR COMMUNITY
ORGANIZERS, HEALTH EDUCATORS
AND INJURY PREVENTION
SPECIALISTS

The Washington State Booster Seat Coalition
March 2004

633 Yesler Way, Suite 332
Seattle, WA 98104
Mailing Address:
Box 359960
325 Ninth Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104-2499
Tel: 206-521-1520
Fax: 206-521-1562
www.hiprc.org
© March 2004
2

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION……………………………………….......................…………… 4
WHY CHILDREN NEED BOOSTER SEATS…………...................……….. 5
PROGRAM MODEL AND KEY COMPONENTS………..................………. 7
KEY COMPONENTS OF A BOOSTER SEAT CAMPAIGN
BUILDING A COMMUNITY COALITION……………………...................... 9
WHY USE A COMMUNITY COALITION?…………..………...........…………….. 9
HOW TO RUN A SUCCESSFUL COALITION…………..……...........………….10
POTENTIAL MEMBERS OF A COALITION………………............……………….13
IDENTIFYING PARENTAL BARRIERS TO BOOSTER SEAT
USE……………………………………………………………………........................…16
BARRIERS FACED BY PARENTS………………….………...........……………….….16
SETTING UP YOUR OWN FOCUS GROUPS………….…..........……………….18
CHOOSING A CAMPAIGN MESSAGE………………………...................…..23
DETERMINING YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE……………….……….........……….23
CREATING THE MESSAGE YOU NEED……………………….…….........………..24
CHECKLIST FOR DEVELOPING BOOSTER SEAT MESSAGES…..............29
PROGRAM ACTIVITIES........………………………………….....................30
MASS MEDIA ACTIVITIES………………………………………….........……………….32
GRASSROOTS EDUCATION ACTIVITIES………………………..........……………35
INCREASING USE THROUGH A DISCOUNT COUPON
PROGRAM…………………………………………………………….................. .....39
WHY USE A COUPON PROGRAM?……………………………………….........…….39
SETTING UP A COUPON PROGRAM…………………………………….........…….40
EVALUATING YOUR PROGRAM………………………………...................…43
WHY EVALUATE YOUR CAMPAIGN?..........................................43
OUTCOME EVALUATION – MEASURING CHANGE IN BOOSTER SEAT
USE…………………………………………………………………………………................44
PROCESS EVALUATION – MEASURING WHAT YOU DID……….............…47
FUNDING YOUR CAMPAIGN…………………………………….....................48
BUDGET ITEMS FOR A BOOSTER SEAT CAMPAIGN……............………….48
FUNDING SOURCES…………………………………..……………..........……………..49

INTRODUCTION

In the state of Washington, a group of individuals and agencies developed and
implemented the Washington State Booster Seat Coalition to decrease deaths
and injuries to children riding in cars. We sought to accomplish this by promoting
booster seat use among 4- to 8-year-old children, the group most likely to be
improperly restrained.1, 2
Using a wide variety of venues and educational media, we worked to educate the
community about the need for booster seats and created programs to help families
overcome financial barriers. In 1999 we formed a broad-based community coalition
to advise and implement the campaign. This coalition built upon the successful
car-seat training programs instituted by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission
and the Washington Safety Restraint Coalition, and focused exclusively on booster
seat use. The coalition’s formation was followed by the passage of Washington’s
landmark Anton Skeen Act in 2000, the first state booster seat law in the nation.
Following the law’s implementation in 2002, the Washington State Booster Seat
Coalition continued to work with the Washington Traffic Safety Commission on a
booster seat campaign.
Our evaluation of the campaign through observations of booster seat use in King
County, the most populous county in the state, demonstrated that we were able to
increase booster seat use from 13 percent in 1999 to 57 percent in 2003.3
The purpose of this manual is to help others learn from our experience in improving
motor vehicle safety for children, and adapt our model to the needs of their
communities. Well-done interventions can make a difference. We hope that this
manual will show you how.

BOOSTER SEATS

In recent decades we have come to realize that injuries – the most common cause
of death to children – are often preventable. The most effective prevention methods
involve addressing a specific problem with a specific solution, and using modern
techniques of health education to bring about behavior change through community
campaigns and intervention programs.

Booster seats for children riding in motor vehicles have emerged as an important
injury prevention strategy for U.S. children. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading
cause of death for children and adolescents between the ages of 1-19 years. An
estimated 3,612 child occupants died on our nation’s roads in 2001.4 Thousands
more have been injured. Booster seat-age children, generally between the ages of
4-8 years, account for 7.3% of passenger deaths.4 Many of these deaths and injuries
could have been prevented if the children had been buckled up properly in a booster
seat.
Booster seats are safety restraints designed for
Figure 1: Two types of booster seats
children who have outgrown their forward-facing
car seats, but who are still not big enough to fit
safely in an adult seat belt. The American
Academy of Pediatrics5 and the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 6
recommend booster seats for children over 40
pounds and under 4’ 9" tall. Booster seat-size
children generally are between 4 and 8 years of
age, and between 40 and 80 pounds. Booster
No-back
High-back
seats protect children by raising them so that the
booster seat
booster seat
vehicle lap-and-shoulder belt fit correctly. Instead
of the shoulder belt uncomfortably rubbing the
child’s face and neck or the lap belt riding dangerously up on the child’s abdomen,
a booster seat positions the shoulder belt diagonally across the child’s trunk and
keeps the lap belt low across the hips (Figure 2).
Figure 2: How booster seats help seat belts fit right

SEAT BELT DOES
NOT FIT

SEAT BELT FITS WITH
BOOSTER SEAT

Shoulder belt
rubs face

Can sit up
straight

Hard to sit
up straight
Lap belt rides up
on tummy

Knees bend

Knees do not bend
unless child
slouches

Shoulder belt
crosses shoulder

WHY BOOSTER SEATS?

WHY CHILDREN NEED
BOOSTER SEATS

Lap belt
stays across
hips

Booster seats have been proven to prevent these
injuries and save lives. Children riding in booster
seats are 59 percent less likely to suffer serious
injury than those using only seat belts.7 Children
riding in booster seats also have less risk of a head
injury compared to seatbelt-only riders, a crucial
difference for a child’s ability to lead a healthy life.9

smaller children,” said NHTSA
Administrator Jeffrey W. Runge, M.D.
“Booster seats remedy that problem
by positioning the belt where it is
most effective.”
-Dr. Jeff Runge

Despite the benefits that booster seats offer, most parents still do not buckle their
children in these seats. While national use rates of car seats among children
weighing under 40 pounds is between 85-95 percent, booster seat use hovers
around 19 percent nationwide.10 For this reason, the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) has designated booster seats one of the nation’s top traffic
safety priorities.
States around the nation have recognized the importance of booster seats and
are passing laws requiring booster seat use. Washington passed the first law in
the nation in 2000. By the end of 2003, 23 states had booster seat legislation
and more are considering legislation. Booster seats have become the new legal
standard for safely transporting children.
Booster seats are still a new concept for many, and so parents, healthcare
professionals, child-care providers, and other caregivers need further information
and education about booster seats. Parents and professionals must know who
should ride in booster seats, where to buy them, and how to install them safely.

WHY BOOSTER SEATS?

Without a booster seat, an older child runs the risk of serious injury, and even
death, in a car crash.7 Children using seat belts that do not fit properly can suffer
serious head, neck, and spinal injuries that can leave crash survivors with serious
disability including brain injury and paralysis. They can also suffer injuries to the
abdominal area known as “seatbelt syndrome,” in
which internal organs are compressed and severely
“Safety belts are not designed to fit
injured. 8

We based our booster seat education campaign on other public health
community intervention models that have proven to be successful. Previous
injury prevention campaigns have used a community-based approach,
bringing together community organizations and stakeholders to develop the
campaign and carry it out. Bicycle helmets,11, 12 life-jackets,13 and gun storage
devices 14 have all been successfully promoted through broad-based
community organizing.
The community organization approach to health promotion is based on a
great deal of research and theory. Two principles of community organizing
are important: the “principle of participation”,15-18 and the “principle of
ownership.” These principles state that behavior change is more likely if the
people affected by a problem are responsible for planning and instituting
steps to solve the problem, including establishing structures to ensure that
the change is maintained.16, 19-21 So, for our campaign, we involved the
community in promoting booster seats to help increase use and to continue
booster seat usage over the long term.
For an organizing framework for our booster seat campaign, we used the
PRECEDE-PROCEED planning model designed by Lawrence W. Green and
Matthew Kreuter.18 There are multiple phases in this planning framework
and this manual will describe how to implement these phases in your booster
seat education campaign:
1) Social Diagnosis – Identify booster seat problem and
community resources that can address it. Promote community
participation and collaboration.
2) Epidemiologic Diagnosis – Review injury and death statistics for
booster-size children.
3) Behavioral and Environmental Diagnosis – Use focus groups
and an initial observation survey of booster seat use and parent
knowledge to understand environmental and behavioral factors
that contribute to booster seat use and non-use.

PROGRAM MODEL

PROGRAM MODEL
AND KEY COMPONENTS

4) Educational and Organizational Diagnosis – Determine which
factors will help parents increase booster seat use.
5) Administrative and Policy Diagnosis – Understand current and
needed booster seat laws and policies.
7

7) Process Evaluation – Evaluate program based on what you did
in your campaign.
8) Impact Evaluation –Evaluate program based on changes in
parental knowledge, attitudes, use and access to booster seats.
9) Outcome Evaluation – Evaluate program based on changes in
booster seat use and child passenger injury and death rates.
The Washington State Booster Seat Coalition used social marketing to guide
program development. Social marketing focuses on how to optimize benefits,
reduce barriers, and provide persuasive arguments to help change health
behavior. It was used to identify specific target audiences and to develop
campaign messages.
KEY COMPONENTS OF A BOOSTER SEAT CAMPAIGN
Our campaign used a variety of methods to help increase booster seat use
in Washington. The following components were modeled after other
successful injury prevention programs and were vital to our campaign’s
success:
y Community coalition
y State booster seat law
y Discount coupon program
y Toll-free hotline for child passenger safety information
y Parent advisory group
y Supportive state Office of Highway Safety
y Established network of child passenger safety experts who teach parents
how to use seats
y Media coverage
y Educational materials and outreach
y Training of key groups, in particular health care and child care providers.

PROGRAM MODEL

6) Program Implementation – Design intervention based on initial
research and planning.

Our community coalition has been the heart of Washington’s booster seat
campaign. Formed in 1999, the Washington State Booster Seat Coalition organized
key interests and efforts. Coalition members made decisions about the campaign
based on input from those who work everyday with families, who are traffic safety
experts, and who are parents themselves. It was a key ingredient of our booster
seat program’s success.

WHY USE A COMMUNITY COALITION?
A booster seat coalition will help you develop a program in the community working
with local partners. This structure creates joint ownership of the campaign and
helps encourage participation, momentum, and sustainability. Each of the coalition
members contributes to campaign planning and development. This involvement
helps encourage continued participation and commitment to booster seat activities,
and establishes a network that can continue in the long-term. The end result is a
campaign more likely to achieve your ultimate goal: increasing booster seat use!
One of the most practical reasons for setting up a local booster seat coalition is
cost. A booster seat education campaign can be expensive. A coalition is a costeffective way to reach the public. By tapping into the existing communication
networks of your coalition members, you can extend the reach of your message by
supporting a project coordinator who works with members, facilitates information
sharing, and organizes meetings.
A booster seat coalition can also help pool resources, turning a small project budget
into a significantly larger one. Each coalition member can contribute to a piece of
the project instead of having one organization bear the cost burden. For a
Washington State Booster Seat Coalition seat check event, for example, one partner
arranged the location, another provided advertising funds, and another provided
the seats and volunteer experts to implement the program. Given that some funding
sources provide only small mini-grants, a coalition can help you stretch your dollars.
A booster seat coalition can also deliver messages more effectively. Existing
community organizations will have established contacts and systems for reaching
your audience. These organizations may already have credibility in the community
which may make families more receptive to your message. The organizations you
bring together are likely to have years of experience working with families, educating
about traffic safety, or advising parents about children’s health.

COALITION-BUILDING

BUILDING A COMMUNITY COALITION
FOR YOUR CAMPAIGN

Coalitions can be successful at reducing injury risk in your community. Research
has shown that broad-based community coalitions have successfully increased
children’s bicycle helmet use, increased life jacket use, and increased the use of
9

Finally, a booster seat coalition elevates the issue for the community and
demonstrates its importance. By forming a separate entity focused on
booster seats, you communicate that booster seats deserve attention.

HOW TO RUN A SUCCESSFUL COALITION
Creating a community coalition takes considerable effort, as does
maintaining enthusiasm over the course of the campaign. Here is a checklist
to follow when forming a coalition:
e a lis
or
king on
Make
listt of community resources that are already w
wor
orking
Mak
child passenger saf
ety issues. This list may include the State Office
safe
of Highway Safety, police, fire, and EMS agencies, hospitals and public
health departments, insurance companies, and non-profit
organizations like SAFE KIDS, and traffic safety advocacy
organizations like AAA.
Find out how these organizations educate the public about child
passenger safety and what existing program activities may be
incorporated into a booster seat campaign. For example, the
Washington campaign used the local expertise of its Child Passenger
Safety Teams – county-based police officers, firefighters, and other
volunteer safety advocates who were trained by the Governor’s Office
of Highway Safety to help teach families about car safety for children
and provide seats to those in need.
e a lis
ther organizations that are kke
ey sstak
tak
eholder
Mak
Make
listt of o
other
takeholder
eholderss in the
community who ma
eres
or
k or who ma
mayy be int
interes
erestted in this w
wor
ork
mayy be
im
por
tant tto
o ha
havve as a par
partt of the Coalition. These organizations
impor
portant
may include media, private businesses who serve families, child care
providers, or political leaders. Your list should be comprehensive and
broad. Members will vary in how actively involved they are.
s, ffind
ind out ho
w a lac
To help recruit coalition member
members,
how
lack
boostter
k of boos
seats has im
pact
ed
y
our
community
.
impact
pacted your community. Ask your Office of Highway
Safety for data on motor vehicle crashes involving children and on
safety restraint use. How many of the children involved would have
been saved or injured less severely if they had been riding in booster

COALITION-BUILDING

safe storage boxes for guns. Our booster seat observations showed that our
campaign, which included a broad-based coalition, significantly increased
the use of booster seats.1

If possible, collect data on use of seat belts, car seat, and booster
seats in the community. This data will help to solicit funding, recruit
coalition members, and measure program effectiveness. (See the
Program Evaluation section on page XX for information on how to
collect this data.)
Also, find out if there are groups at highest risk of injury, who could
be the focus of a “targeted” injury prevention campaign. In
Washington, as booster seat use increased, we moved to identify
high-risk groups, such as Latino families, in order to target our
prevention efforts with specific strategies to meet their needs.
xis
ting la
ws and policies regar
ding boos
Look at e
exis
xisting
laws
regarding
boostter seat use and
de
o be updat
ed. All states in the U.S. have a
dettermine if the
theyy need tto
updated.
child passenger restraint law, but each one has different
requirements. Find out: What is the law in your state? Up to what age
are children required to ride in car seats or booster seats? What is
the penalty if you violate the law?
On the local level, find out what policies exist in your county or city.
While it is less common for counties and cities to have child passenger
safety laws, it is possible for local governments to do so. If you are
unable to pass a law through your state legislature that meets your
community needs, you may find success on a local level. The
Washington State Booster Seat Coalition did not pursue local
governments during its campaign because of the state law, but local
governments have passed laws or implemented policies to protect
children from injuries (e.g., local bicycle helmet ordinances, tribal
passenger safety laws).
The policies of local health departments and area hospitals may vary.
Find out which organizations currently provide seats to families or
help parents install seats in their cars. Are there organizations
interested in developing such a program? During our campaign in
Washington, some organizations were unable to check or give away
seats due to concerns about liability or a lack of resources. While

COALITION-BUILDING

seats? How many children currently use booster seats? Compare
these statistics to national data from the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration.

xperiences with parents,
Talk with community resources about their e
experiences
children, and car
s.
cars. Are children buckled up in booster seats? What
do parents know about them? How do parents and children feel about
using booster seats? What are the biggest barriers that the parents
face in using these seats? What is needed to make change in the
community?
These initial conversations can help you understand community needs
and the environment in which the campaign will operate. These
conversations also help build bridges for the future.
ee. Bring together 6-8 representatives of
Form a sstteering committ
committee.
key stakeholder organizations who can help guide decision-making
and provide expert advice.
e ffor
or the ffir
ir
ting and send out
Se
Sett a time/dat
time/date
irsst coalition mee
meeting
vitiations
and
mee
ting
agendas.
in
invitiations
meeting
Have food available. We found
attendance improved at meetings when food was available. Follow
up invitations with phone calls and an email reminder.
ir
ting, present the pr
oblem and discuss possible
At the ffir
irsst mee
meeting,
problem
er
seat
use. Develop a task list and
appr
oac
hes
t
o
increase
boos
t
approac
oaches to
boost
timeline.
ole that eac
h member will pla
paign. Ask
Identify the rrole
each
playy in the cam
campaign.
each member to do tasks appropriate for their job titles and skills –
people are more willing to help when it can be integrated into their
daily duties, or when it furthers the mission of their organization.
e ffor
or the ne
Se
Sett a time/dat
time/date
next
meeting.
ollow
w up with thanks and
xt mee
ting. FFollo
ollo
ting minut
es with future tasks no
mee
meeting
minutes
notted.

COALITION-BUILDING

seat distribution by the King County Health
Department and EMS office was limited by
liability concerns, many area hospitals had
car seat and booster seat education and
fitting programs in place.

For information on state child
passenger safety laws, go to:
www.saferoads.org
www.statehighwaysafety.org
www.safekids.org
www.iihs.org
www.nhtsa.gov

Tips for keeping your coalition running in the
later stages of the campaign:
y As new projects or new news develops from the

campaign, update coalition members.
y Continue to solicit member input on projects.

Invite them to sit on sub-committees or ask for
their feedback on a campaign message or
educational material.
y Ask different coalition members to present at

upcoming meetings.
y Invite outside speakers if possible, to help

POTENTIAL MEMBERS OF A
COALITION
Traf
ety organizations
rafffic saf
safe
Police departments
Governor’s Office of Highway Safety
Non-profit traffic safety advocates

further knowledge as well as partnerships.
y THANK EVERYONE AND RECOGNIZE

THEM FOR THEIR WORK!!!

Healthcare pr
ovider
viderss
pro
Pediatricians and family medicine doctors
Pediatric and trauma nurses
Hospitals and community clinics
Health educators
Community relations staff
Emergency medical services
Public health agency staf
stafff
Injury prevention educators
Public health nurses
Child-care program staff
Childcare pr
ovider
ovide resour
ces tto
o childcares
pro
viderss and organizations that pr
pro
resources
Licensed child-care centers
Home day cares
Child care licensing
Oversight and training organizations
Family educators at community colleges

COALITION-BUILDING

w up with coalition member
Follo
ollow
memberss
about their ne
w tasks, and
new
pr
o vide
inf
ormation
and
pro
information
encouragement. Connect them to
other resources in the network if
needed. Thank them again for
their help and share their
accomplishments with the group.

Non-pr
of
it organizations ffocused
ocused on children’s health or ffamily
amily saf
ety
ofit
safe
Non-prof
SAFE KIDS Coalition
Injury Free Coalition for Kids
Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies
Priv
at
e businesses with an int
erest in children or ffamilies
amilies
Privat
ate
interest
amilies—
Auto insurance companies
Children’s product manufacturers or retailers
Car dealerships
Media
Parenting gr
oups
groups

COALITION-BUILDING

Schools
Pre-school and elementary school programs
Headstart programs and afterschool programs
PTAs
School district nurses

Bellevue Community College
Bellevue School District
Car Safe Kids
Childcare Resources and Referral
Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center
Evenflo Corporation
Grays Harbor County Traffic Safety and Injury Prevention
Harborview Hospital Family Patient Resource Center
Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center
Highline Community Hospital
Kent Police Department
KOMO-TV (ABC)
Mary Bridge Hospital Center for Childhood Safety
Mercer Island Fire, Police & Public Safety
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – Region X
Overlake Hospital
Public Health – Seattle-King County
Safe Ride News
SAFE KIDS Coalitions throughout Washington
Safety Restraint Coalition
Shoreline Children’s Center
Shoreline Community College
Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office
Snohomish County Health District
State Farm Insurance
Washington State Department of Health

COALITION-BUILDING

PARTIAL MEMBER LIST OF THE WASHINGTON STATE BOOSTER SEAT
COALITION
American Response Ambulance

Washington State Patrol
Washington Traffic Safety Commission
15

Since booster seats are a new technology for many parents, parents may initially
be unaware of the importance of booster seats or resistant to using them. You
should expect some parents to question why booster seats are needed and to be
concerned that their children may not want to use them. Some parents may also
question whether they are as safe as car sets for younger children, and others
may just place children in seat belts without a booster. In order to design an
effective education program, it is important to understand what the barriers are
to using booster seats and what would motivate parents to use them.

BARRIERS FACED BY PARENTS
One effective way to find out how parents feel about booster seats is to hold focus
groups or market research discussion groups with small groups of parents in your
community. These discussions provide parents with a forum to share their opinions
and knowledge about child passenger safety and booster seats. The information
learned from parents will build on what you learned from your conversations with
community organizations (described above).
For our campaign, we conducted a number of focus groups with parents in Spring
2000 before we started planning our educational efforts.22 Three focus groups
were conducted in King County with parents of children under 10-years-old. In
addition, two focus groups were conducted in other areas of the state with parents
of children who were not using booster seats. Professional survey research firms
conducted these groups.
From the focus groups in Washington State, we learned that parents face the
following barriers to using booster seats:
Lack of knowledge
y Parents did not have a clear idea of what a booster seat is, or what
one even looks like.
y Parents were confused about when children should ride in the
different safety devices. They incorrectly identified the correct age at
which it is safe for a child to use an adult lap and shoulder belt. Some
thought that adult seat belt use is based on a combination of child
behavior and size. Many parents thought their children were “too big”
or “too old” to ride in a safety seat, even though their children were the
right size for a booster seat.
y Some parents believed a seat belt was adequate and booster seats
were non-essential. They viewed the booster seat as a device that just
helps children see out the window better. They did not see the booster
seat as an essential safety device.

FOCUS GROUPS

IDENTIFYING PARENTAL BARRIERS
TO BOOSTER SEAT USE

Parents were concerned that booster seats might increase a child’s
risk of injury because she could slip out, because her face would be
closer to a window that may shatter in a crash, and because the seat is
not firmly attached to the car like a forward-facing car seat is.

Cost
Parents felt that booster seats are expensive. In 2000, parents in our focus
groups reported finding only high-back booster seats that cost $80-100
(even though less expensive low back and high-back seats were in stores
at this time.). Parents wanted to pay only $20-25 for a booster seat.
Child Resistance
Parents felt their children would resist booster seat use because they were
“too old” to be sitting in a safety seat. This resistance is made worse by
peer pressure. When older siblings and friends did not use booster seats,
their children did not want to use them.
Difficulty Fitting Seats in Vehicle
Parents expressed concern that it is difficult to fit the seats in the vehicle,
particularly if there are three passengers and car seats in the back seat.
They also were concerned about having to transfer seats between vehicles.
Lack of Shoulder Belts in Vehicle
Some parents could not use booster seats because their cars were made
before 1990 and only had lap belts in the back seat. Since booster seats
require a lap and a shoulder belt, these parents did not know how to buckle
their children safely in the car.
We worked to overcome the first three barriers through a comprehensive booster
seat campaign.
Many of these parental barriers may be shared by parents in your community.
Other barriers may be unique to your community, such as having few retail stores
carrying booster seats, or specific cultural or language barriers.23, 24

FOCUS GROUPS

SETTING UP FOCUS GROUPS

Below is a table outlining the pros and cons of each option followed by some tips
to keep in mind for each one.
USING A PROFESSIONAL FIRM
PROS

CONS

Handles all logi sti cs, i ncludi ng
parti ci pant recrui tment and screeni ng
(can be ti me-consumi ng)

Less personal contact by your staff w i th the
communi ty you serv e

Uses professi onal faci li tators w ho are
experi enced i n eli ci ti ng i nformati on
from parti ci pants

Less li kely for the faci li tator to represent
the target communi ty.

Prov i des meeti ng space and techni cal
equi pment

E xpensi v e. Focus groups can cost ov er $3000
per sessi on.

Tips for using a professional firm:
y When choosing a firm, interview them about how they conduct
their focus groups, how they have worked with clients in the past,
and who their previous clients have been. Ask to speak with their
former clients.
y Be clear about your goals for the focus groups and what
information you hope to learn from the participants. The firm will
design the session and choose the participants based on what
you tell them.
y Provide the firm with the characteristics of the audience that you
are trying to educate. Some questions you may ask yourself
before meeting with the market research firm team: Are you
educating parents or professionals who work with children? Are
they occasional users of booster seats or have they never heard
of them? What is the age range of the children that your
message will affect? Is your audience in a specific cultural group
or socioeconomic group?

FOCUS GROUPS

If you plan to conduct focus groups in your own community, you have two options,
depending upon your budget and staff resources:
a) Hire a professional market research firm; or
b) Organize and conduct the focus groups on your own

Suggest locations for the focus groups if you have a preference. It is
easier to recruit participants if the meeting location is close to their
home or work.
Meet the focus group facilitator that the firm provides to find out if she
or he will be a good “fit” for your group. You will want someone who will
put your audience at ease and who will be able to draw information and
opinions from the participants. If you have your own facilitator whom
you would like to use, most firms are willing to work with this person.
Discuss what incentives can be offered to participants to thank them
for their time and efforts. Incentives help recruit participants and make
sure that they show up for the session. Consider providing a low-cost or
free booster seat to participants.
If you have a limited budget, some market research firms are flexible
and will share the responsibilities. For example, you could draft the
script, recruit participants, and find a location. The firm could help
revise the script, provide a facilitator, and write the final report that
shares results.

PLANNING YOUR OWN FOCUS GROUPS
PROS
Less expensive. Focus groups
can be held for $500-$800.
Opportunity for more personal
contact by your staff with the
community you serve. This contact
may help you on your campaign in
the future. For example, parents
who participate may be interested in
sharing booster seat information in
their own community and may refer
families to you for more information.
Can provide own facilitator who is
similar to your audience members
and from the community.

CONS
Need to arrange for technical
equipment and transcription of
recording after session has ended.
Need to handle all logistics,
including participant recruitment
and screening. Recruitment and
screening can be very timeconsuming.

FOCUS GROUPS

Facilitator may not be as skilled at
drawing information from
participants. If the facilitator is
recognized by the community,
members may feel reluctant to
share personal information.
19

CONS

or the ffocus
ocus gr
oup
De
Dettermine what the goals are ffor
group
oup. Are you trying to find
out why parents do not use booster seats on everyday trips? Are you trying
to find out the barriers that child-care providers have in educating their
clients (parents) about booster seats?
our initial targe
Identify yyour
targett audience
audience. It is important to determine whose
behavior you want to change. However, realize that this may change
somewhat during the course of the focus groups – you may learn that
there is an additional group whose behavior change is necessary to
accomplish the camapign goals.
or
Recruit a facilitat
facilitator
or. The best facilitator is someone who the participants
feel comfortable sharing their thoughts with. Facilitators must be very
careful not to impose their views and values on the group. They should be
aware of giving all participants a chance to share their opinions in a friendly
and supportive atmosphere.
or
tants if needed.
Recruit translat
translator
orss or assis
assistants
or this community
Find a location and time that is con
convvenient ffor
community.. Evening
meetings or weekend meetings are often convenient for parents who work.
es yyou
ou ha
o encourage par
ticipation. Are you
De
Dettermine what incentiv
incentives
havve tto
participation.
able to pay the participants? Can you provide food or child-care? Can you
reimburse for mileage or pay for parking? Recruitment is usually easier if
you can pay people for their time. We paid people $25-30 per 2-hour
session, provided food, and gave each participant a discount coupon for a
booster seat.
our ffocus
ocus gr
oup session based on yyour
our cam
paign goals.
e a scrip
or yyour
group
campaign
Writ
rite
scriptt ffor
Use open-ended questions, instead of questions that require only a “Yes”
or “No” answer. Open-ended questions encourage participants to describe
their feelings and opinions. In the Washington campaign, we had three
goals for our focus groups: 1) explore barriers to booster seat use; 2) discuss
what would change their behavior; and 3) test appeal of campaign
messages and communication channels.

FOCUS GROUPS

PROS
Checklist for conducting focus groups on your own:

TO ALLOW YOU TO SCREEN
RECRUITS AND TO REDUCE
BIAS IN YOUR RESULTS, DO
NOT INCLUDE:
· Location and time of meeting
· What the results will be used
for

FOCUS GROUPS

ticipants. Post advertising flyers
Recruit par
participants.
where potential participants will see them
regularly, such as stores, community centers,
clinics, churches, and parks. You can also
recruit directly at these venues and/or ask
contacts at these venues to encourage
participation. You will want about 8-10
participants per group. Recruit several extra
participants as typically some people do not
show up.

DO INCLUDE ON A
RECRUITMENT FLYER:
· Characteristics of participant
(i.e. car owner)
· Incentives
· Who to contact for more
information
· Confidentiality of information
· Who is conducting the
research

Screen recruits o
ovver the phone. Use your audience characteristics to screen
callers who respond to your advertisements. For example, if you are trying
to find out more information about parents who never use booster seats,
ask callers “Do you own a booster seat?”

w yyou
ou will recor
d the answ
er
s. Tape record or videotape the
ers.
De
Dettermine ho
how
record
answer
sessions so you can have a record of participant answers and reactions.
Videotaping can be costly, but it allows you to see facial expressions. In
addition, you should have one or two people designated as “scribes” for
the session in case the sound quality of the recording turns out poor.
o par
ticipants a da
o bef
ore the mee
ting.
Place reminder calls tto
participants
dayy or tw
two
before
meeting.
e parents
During the recruitment, screening, and actual session, mak
make
feel comf
or
table and vvalued.
alued. Their “expertise” as parents is what you
comfor
ortable
need!
oup! Participants may bring along
xpect
ed at the ffocus
ocus gr
xpected
group!
Expect the une
unexpect
unexpected friends, equipment may not work correctly or people may
interpret questions in a way that you did not expect. You may want to
conduct a small pilot group first to test the script, facility, and equipment.

FOCUS GROUPS

erials that yyou
ou will sho
w or use at the session. If you show
Gather mat
materials
show
sample educational materials or sample messages, make sure your
materials are big enough to be seen by all at the meeting, or that you
provide individual copies.

CHOOSING A CAMPAIGN MESSAGE

Key campaign messages should be driven by your focus group results. Use
your initial information about parent attitudes and barriers to determine
which messages will influence them to buckle their child in a booster seat.
Then, test these messages through focus groups or surveys to determine
which ones are most important and most effective for meeting your campaign
goals.

DETERMINING YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE
Your target audience will depend upon your campaign objectives and
strategy. The campaign objective may be to increase booster seat use among
parents of a certain ethnic or socioeconomic background. Alternatively,
empowering community organizations and healthcare providers to educate
the families they serve may be your objective.

MESSAGE

Campaign messages will play an important part in your efforts to educate
the public about booster seats. These messages communicate the behavior
you are encouraging (such as buckling up 4-8 year-olds in booster seats),
as well as explaining why the behavior is important (e.g., booster seats are
safer than adult seat belts alone). Depending on your specific
communication, the campaign messages may also include additional
information that supports your main message (e.g., booster seats are only a
$20-25 investment). There are many messages that you can communicate,
and you may choose different ones for specific audiences or at various stages
of your campaign.

Your target audience will depend upon your campaign objectives and
strategy. The campaign objective may be to increase booster seat use among
parents of a certain ethnic or socioeconomic background.
Most likely the campaign will target those who provide daily care to children
and who make decisions about how they ride in the car. In this case you will
be educating parents and other family caregivers or guardians.
You may also decide to reach families through healthcare or child-care
providers – those who influence parents. Doctors, nurses, and emergency
medical staff are good spokespeople for booster seats according to our
focus group research. At a child’s annual checkup as well as during periodic
visits throughout the year, healthcare providers can advise parents on how
to keep kids safe in the car with booster seats.
23

CREATING THE MESSAGE YOU NEED
Use information from focus group, observations, or survey research, national child
and traffic safety organizations, and conversations with community and campaign
coalition members to create your messages.
Choosing the Behavior to Highlight in Your Message
Information about how people are buckling up children ages four and older will
help you determine what behavior to target. For example, families who are moving
their children directly from car seats to adult seat belts will need to learn that
booster seats are the proper stage after car seats. On the other hand, families
who already use booster seats, but use them only on long trips or while highway
driving, should learn that booster seats are needed on every ride, even for short
distances.
In the Washington campaign, our initial messages focused on using booster seats
before seat belts:
Is Your Child Ready for a
Seat Belt? Think Again!

MESSAGE

Child-care directors and teachers are also powerful
messengers because they have daily contact with
families and watch children grow through the different
stages of child passenger safety. Child-care providers
often have the responsibility of transporting children
themselves, so providing them with information about
booster seats will help protect children when they are
not in the care of their parents.

POTENTIAL TARGET
AUDIENCES FOR A
BOOSTER SEAT
CAMPAIGN:
· Parents and guardians
· Childcare Directors and
Staff
· Public Health and
Healthcare Providers
· Elementary School
Teachers and School
Officials
· Parenting organizations

Let Them Go Through
Stages, Not Glass

Is your child

ready
for a

seat belt ?
Think again:
Children need to ride in
a booster seat until they
are at least 4’ 9” tall, usually
at about 8 years old and
80 pounds.

www.boosterseat.org

As booster seat use increased, we used
other messages to address information
gaps and to motivate parents to protect
their children in the car with booster
seats. We created messages for families
who would be motivated by the law, or
Buckle Up! It’s the Law
only used booster seats on long trips, and
messages for those who did not use booster seats at all.
BIG KIDS NEED
BOOSTER SEATS

SEAT BELT
DOES NOT FIT

SEAT BELT FITS WITH
BOOSTER SEAT

Shoulder belt
rubs face

Can sit up
straight

Hard to sit
up straight

4-8 years
40-80 pounds up to 4’9” tall

Lap belt rides
up on tummy

Keep big kids safe in the car —
use booster seats on every ride, every time.
It’s the law. And your child is worth it.
*** This information is not sponsored by the school district. In consideration for the privilege to
distribute the attached materials, the school district shall be held harmless from any cause of action,
claim or petition filed in any court or administrative tribunal arising out of the distribution of these
materials, including all costs, attorney’s fees, and judgments or awards.***

Knees
bend

Knees do not
bend unless child
slouches

Shoulder belt
crosses shoulder

Lap belt
stays across
hips

For more information and booster seat coupons,
visit www.boosterseat.org or call 1-800-BUCK-L-UP
(1-800-282-5587).
A message from the Washington State Booster Seat Coalition
© 2003 Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center

Choosing a Message to Help Address Barriers to Booster Seat Use
Information about barriers and motivators to booster seat use will help you
determine messages that address barriers that your campaign needs to overcome.
For example, our focus group research showed that the majority of parents believed
that 4-8 year-old children were safe to ride in adult seat belts and were too old or
too big to ride in a safety seat. So, for the Washington campaign, we knew that we
needed a message that addressed this belief. We chose “Is Your Child Ready for a
Seat Belt? Think Again!” to let parents know that children do not always fit right in
an adult seat belt.

MESSAGE

Use Booster Seats
Every Ride, Every Time

Similarly, we learned that parents believe that booster seats are very expensive,
costing $80-100. So, we included information about inexpensive booster seats in
our campaign messages as well as a message about a discount coupon program
that we had set up.

Booster seats range in price from $15$110. A higher price may not mean a
better or safer boosters seat.
25

In Washington, we began our campaign recommending booster seats for children
between 4-8 years old or 40-80 pounds – the AAP and NHTSA standard in 2000.
At the time, this standard differed from our new state law that required booster
seats for 4-6 year-old or 40-60 pound children beginning July 1, 2002. The Booster
Seat Coalition chose to promote the higher standard because we believed it was a
safer public health recommendation.
During the summer of 2002, when Washington’s Anton Skeen Act officially took
effect, we emphasized a message to reflect the law:
Booster Seats Required by Law. Kids 4-6 Years or 40-60 Pounds.

MESSAGE

Choosing the Size Range that Your Message Recommends
Information from national child passenger safety organizations and from your state
booster seat law will help you determine the age or size range that your message
recommends. Both the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) provide recommended standards.
Currently, booster seats are recommended for children over 40 pounds and under
4’9" tall. We found that most parents did not readily know their child’s height, so
we focused on weight and age criteria in our recommendation.

During this time we nstill kept our public health
recommendation in the message, but it became a
submessage:

Doctors and safety experts
recommend that children use booster
seats until the seat belt fits, typically
when they are around 8 years old,
about 80 pounds, and at least 4’9" tall.

Choosing Your Message Appeal
Information about your audience’s motivation for using booster seats can help you
determine the type of message appeal that you use. From your research and
interviews with community members, you will know if parents and caregivers think
booster seats are important, how likely they are to use them, and what would
encourage them. You will also learn if your audience is motivated to act out of fear
of a ticket or fine, loss of life, or out of a desire to do the best for their children.
Share your message with others who have led safety campaigns in the community
to get their feedback.
In Washington’s campaign, our initial messages were designed to attract parents’
attention since many did not know about booster seats or did not believe that they
were important to use. Some of our messages utilized a “fear appeal” in an effort
to show parents the consequences of not using a booster seat.
It’s Easier to Put Your Child in This [booster seat]…. Than This [ambulance]

MESSAGE

In 2002 we also added the upper limit height standard of 4’9" to our message
because AAP and NHTSA updated their recommendations during that year. However,
for shorter communications such as radio ads when we needed to keep our message
simple, we did not include height in our message recommendation. Our focus group
and observational data showed that parents did not readily know their child’s height,
so the 4’9" tall standard was not as useful.2 Research showed that parents do
indeed know their child’s weight,2 so campaign communications focused on age
or weight.

And You Think This Seat is a Hassle?

Is Your Child Ready for a Seat Belt?
Think Again!

Booster Seat Web Site

One of our messages attracted
attention by countering parental
beliefs about when children can
fit safely in adult seat belts:
When the landmark Washington
booster seat law25 took effect in
July 2002, our message appeals
used the law to motivate caregivers.

Buckle Up. It’s the Law.

Both messages that used the threat of law
enforcement to prompt caregivers to start
using booster seats informed parents of the
financial consequences of non-use, and
targeted more resistant parents and those
who used booster seats inconsistently.

TIPS FOR CREATING MESSAGES
WITH IMPACT
y Keep the message simple.
y Communicate with pictures.
y Use clear, direct language.
y Use images, colors, and headlines to
grab the audience’s attention.
y Make the message relevant to your
audience.
y Write your message in the form of a
question to make your audience stop
and think.
y Make sure the message reflects what
will motivate your audience to start
using booster seats.
y Provide a phone number and web site
where parents can get further
information. This will help you track
the impact of your advertisement.
y Test messages and graphics and get
feedback from members of your
audience before finalizing materials.

MESSAGE

Booster Seats Required By Law.
Tickets Cost $101.

CHECKLIST FOR DEVELOPING BOOSTER SEAT MESSAGES
Analyze local and national booster seat use data to determine what booster
seat behavior to target.

Once you choose your audience, use information from focus group research to
determine the audience’s motivation for using booster seats or educating others
about booster seats.
Use your initial research to determine what type of message will appeal to the
audience (e.g., emotional appeal that focuses on parental desire to protect
child)
Decide the age or size range that the message recommends.
Develop potential messages based on your knowledge of audience motivation,
appeal, and preferred messengers.
Test these messages with audience members and gather feedback on what
grabs their attention, what is understandable, and what is motivating about
the messages. Also, find out what can be improved.

MESSAGE

Determine your audience (e.g., parents, healthcare providers, or both). Try to
narrow your audience such as parents who live in a certain area or who have
children of a specific age. These specifications will make your message more
effective.

Modify the message concepts based on audience feedback.
Before you finalize the messages, test them again with audience members
and also show them to a child passenger safety expert to determine technical
accuracy.
As the campaign strategy changes or as new data becomes available, change
the messages accordingly.

After selecting your target audience and message, you need to determine
how to deliver your message. This decision depends on communication
channels identified during your assessment phase (e.g., focus groups,
surveys). It also depends upon your campaign objectives, strategy and budget.
Is your objective to increase booster seat use in one city, in a neighborhood
in a city, or throughout a state or region? Is your strategy focused on changing
how parents buckle up their kids, or are you trying to change what doctors
and nurses tell their patients about child passenger safety? What resources
are available? Each of these choices affects how you disseminate your
campaign messages.
Your decisions will also depend upon the information you learn from focus
group research and discussions with community stakeholders and target
audience members. These investigations will tell you where the audience
gets child safety information and who they prefer to hear this information
from. Do they learn from the news, from television advertisements, or from
discussions with other parents? Are doctors, police officers, or teachers the
best messengers about booster seat use? Your research can also tell you
where the audience frequently travels to
by car and what media your audience
KEY FACTORS TO CONSIDER IN
frequently sees. Do they listen to Latino
DECIDING CAMPAIGN
radio stations or read a local parenting
EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES
newsletter? All of this information will help
you determine where to educate the public
· Audience needs and characteristics,
about booster seat use.
including cultural background,
Finally, your decisions will depend upon
your funding availability. If you have more
resources, you will be able to utilize a mass
media campaign strategy, including costly
radio and television ads. If you have fewer
resources, you will need to rely on more
grassroots and word-of-mouth activities.
Partnerships with coalition partners can
share the burden of producing and
distributing materials. Our campaign relied
heavily on organizational and business
partners with a commitment to keeping
kids safe.

·
·
·
·
·
·

knowledge and attitudes about booster
seats, and barriers to use
Geographic area of campaign
Where your audience gets safety
information
Where your audience frequently goes
while driving in the car with children
Who your audience trusts for advice on
children’s safety
Funding possibilities
Strengths and resources of campaign
partners

PROGRAM ACTIVITIES

PROGRAM ACTIVITES

There are a number of campaign activities and communication channels that you
can use to deliver your message. The more people hear that booster seats are
important for children’s safety in cars, the more likely they will begin to use them.
When delivering messages, be sure to use channels that your audience mentioned
in your focus group research. Even the most clever advertisements will fail if they
are never seen or heard.
One of the most important resources for your campaign will be a local source for
further information and questions on child passenger safety. Since it is not possible
to answer all booster seat questions in a brief campaign brochure or television
advertisement, a resource line can answer critical questions for parents, physician
offices, child-care centers, and other organizations with questions. There are also
national resources available (such as NHTSA’s toll free telephone line see Appendix
B), however it is helpful to have a local community contact to handle local calls
and inquiries. The Washington campaign benefited from the following local booster
seat information sources:
y

Toll free Phone N
umber – The Washington Safety Restraint Coalition toll-free
Number
telephone line 1-800-BUCK-L-UP handled individual requests for coupons and
materials, and answered technical questions about booster seats. Staffed by
certified child passenger safety technicians, the hotline was already an
established state resource when our booster seat campaign began. As a
campaign partner, the Safety Restraint Coalition incorporated the phone line
into our statewide booster seat efforts.

Boost
er Seat W
eb Sit
e – We created a Web site for the campaign,
Booster
Web
Site
www.boosterseat.org, to help educate families and caregivers about booster
seats. Individuals could order discount coupons and access educational
materials from the site, as well as learn about the state law and the location of
upcoming classes and seat checks

Booster Seat Web Site

PROGRAM ACTIVITIES

BOOSTER SEAT CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES AND COMMUNICATION
CHANNELS

Children’s R
esour
ce Line – Children’s Hospital has a resource line
Resour
esource
with a fulfillment option. As part of their role with the coalition, the hospital
handled bulk order fulfillment. This was key for mass mailings to childcare providers, physicians, and organizations.

Resource information was printed on all of our educational materials and
included in our broadcast ads. We shared these resources during trainings,
outreach events, and other campaign
activities.
Below is a list of campaign activities that
the Washington State Booster Seat
Coalition used to increase booster seat
use from 2000-2003. We engaged in two
types of education, broad-based mass
media communication and grassroots
education which used more direct,
personal contact to convey messages.
MASS MEDIA ACTIVITIES
y

Radio Spo
ts – Radio public service
Spots
announcements and paid advertisements aired during the first three years
of the campaign. These spots also used
a physician as the main messenger, in
addition to local radio celebrities, law
enforcement officers and Emergency
Medical Technicians (EMTs). Messages
used were similar to those in our
television ads. These spots aired
throughout the day, with an emphasis
on the morning and evening
commuting hours. Our campaign
utilized radio stations listened to by
parents, including talk radio, pop
music, sports broadcasts, and family
stations such as Radio Disney. We also
sponsored traffic reports on the radio
during morning and evening
commutes.

Children’s Hospital radio spot -Produced by KOMO Radio (6/21/02)
Announcer: You and your child’s health is
brought to you by Children’s Hospital &
Regional Medical Center.
Pat Cashman: This is Pat Cashman with a word
about child safety in cars. I can tell you car
crashes are the leading cause of death and
injury among children and there’s no question
a number of those deaths could have been
prevented with the proper use of booster seats.
Pat: For all of the facts, I’m joined by Dr. Beth
Ebel, a pediatrician from Children’s Hospital.
Beth Ebel: Thanks, Pat. We recommend that
kids ride in booster seats until the lap and
shoulder belt fits properly. That’s when
children are about 4 feet, 9 inches tall.
Pat: You must be this tall to wear this belt.
Beth: In fact, it’s a law that kids use a booster
seat, if they’re between the ages of 4 and 6
years or between 40 and 60 pounds.
Pat: Describe how the booster seat works.
Beth: The booster seat puts the lap and
shoulder belt in your car into a safe position
across your child’s lap and chest. It prevents
the belt from riding up on the belly and
prevents injuries to the organs. It also keeps
the shoulder belt off the neck to prevent spine
injuries.
Pat: Dr Ebel, do you think I would fit in
booster seat?
Beth: No Pat, they’re just for kids.
Anncr: For a $10 discount booster seat
coupon, visit www.boosterseat.org, that’s
booster seat.org.

PROGRAM ACTIVITIES

Tele
vision A
ds – We utilized television ads each year to raise awareness among
elevision
Ads
parents about which children need booster seats. Many of the ads included
doctors, state troopers, or ambulance workers as messengers since our focus
groups indicated that parents would listen to these experts regarding booster
seats for their children. When the law came into effect in July 2001, used a
well-known police spokeswoman to deliver the message. Ads aired throughout
the day, often during local news times and sometimes during primetime. Many
of the parents we surveyed reported learning their health information from the
TV, so we prioritized this medium working in partnership with State Farm
Insurance, KOMO-TV, Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, and the
Washington Traffic Safety Commission to provide funding and support.

Mass TTransit
ransit Ext
erior A
ds – To help reach parents in the car and to reinforce
Exterior
Ads
the radio campaign, we purchased large poster ads on the sides and backs of
buses, the most popular and visible form of mass transit in the state. Ads from
the Washington Traffic Safety Commission focused on grabbing readers’
attention about the importance of booster seats. When the law went into effect,
our transit posters focused on the law.

Mo
vie Theat
er A
ds – During the first year of our campaign, the Washington
Movie
Theater
Ads
Traffic Safety Commission ran public service announcements during holiday
season movie previews. These announcements used one of the designs for the
transit advertisements in an effort to reinforce public exposure to our campaign
and use resources wisely.

Movie Theater Ad

Media Outle
eb Sit
es –The KOMO-TV (ABC affiliate) web-site traffic report
Outlett W
Web
Sites
section included information about booster seats in its Tips section and the
home page included an online poll on booster seats for one week. This poll
provided an interactive education tool that raised awareness about booster
seats, and was a source of feedback for our campaign about people’s knowledge
and opinion of booster seats and the law.

PROGRAM ACTIVITIES

Print A
dv
er
tisements in Local P
arenting and Health Magazines – Coalition
Adv
dver
ertisements
Parenting
partners, including Children’s Hospital and State Farm Insurance, utilized existing
media buys with local parenting and health-related magazines to run booster
seat ads.
CHRMC Poster Ad

Adv
er
tisements on Milk Car
dver
ertisements
Carttons – In an effort to
reinforce our message with families, advertisements
were placed on the side of milk cartons produced by a
popular local dairy. This advertisement was donated
and ran for several months.

Ne
ws St
ories in Media – During all stages of the
News
Stories
campaign we generated news stories in local print and
broadcast media, including regional publications geared
toward parenting and on talk radio interviews. Story
topics included the new booster seat law, basic facts
about booster seats, local and statewide usage rates
of booster seats based on our research findings and
journal artciles, and conversations with parents,
including national booster seat advocate Autumn
Alexander Skeen, about their personal experiences.

Milk Carton
Ad

PROGRAM ACTIVITIES

of
essionals – Because our parent focus groups
y Training of Healthcare Pr
Prof
ofessionals
showed us that doctors were trusted spokespeople, our campaign provided
trainings and educational materials to healthcare professionals. We provided
in-services at pediatrician offices for all staff members who interact with families,
classes for medical staff and students at area hospitals, and a one-day forum
for representatives from hospitals, public health and community clinics in King
County, the most populated county in Washington.
of
essionals – We trained child-care directors, staff
y Training of Child-care Pr
Prof
ofessionals
members, and pre-school teachers through small classes and sessions at
regional and statewide conferences. The classes provided participants with
continuing education credit required for their child-care license. These trainings
were particularly useful to child-care providers because they often transport
children and have daily contact with parents.
olice Of
er
y Training of P
Police
Offficer
icerss and Fire Fight
Fighter
erss – Public safety officers became
members of Washington State’s Child Passenger Safety Team – a statewide
network of county-based safety restraint experts. The state Office of Highway
Safety and a non-profit traffic safety advocacy organization organized the teams
and provided the training. Parents could call or visit these teams for advice,
and needy families can often receive free or reduced-price seats from these
teams.
y Parent Education Sessions – Education sessions about booster seats were
offered to parents at hospitals, clinics, community organizations, and schools.
Some sessions focused only on booster seats and were specifically for parents
of elementary or pre-school children. Other trainings included booster seats as
part of a general child passenger safety training for parents of newborns and
infants.
ovider Outreach – We contacted community and provider
y Healthcare Pr
Pro
education departments at area hospitals as well as private clinics to educate
them about the booster seat law, booster seat recommendations, and
available resources. We also encouraged hospitals to provide booster seats
to families through voucher programs or discount coupons. Information
about clinic or hospital programs was provided through internal employee
publications.

PROGRAM ACTIVITIES

GRASSROOTS EDUCATION ACTIVITIES

BIG KIDS NEED
BOOSTER SEATS

SEAT BELT
DOES NOT FIT

SEAT BELT FITS WITH
BOOSTER SEAT

Shoulder belt
rubs face

Can sit up
straight

Hard to sit
up straight

4-8 years
40-80 pounds up to 4’9” tall

Knees
bend

Lap belt rides
up on tummy

Keep big kids safe in the car —
use booster seats on every ride, every time.

Knees do not
bend unless child
slouches

Shoulder belt
crosses shoulder

Lap belt
stays across
hips

For more information and booster seat coupons,
visit www.boosterseat.org or call 1-800-BUCK-L-UP
(1-800-282-5587).

It’s the law. And your child is worth it.
*** This information is not sponsored by the school district. In consideration for the privilege to
distribute the attached materials, the school district shall be held harmless from any cause of action,
claim or petition filed in any court or administrative tribunal arising out of the distribution of these
materials, including all costs, attorney’s fees, and judgments or awards.***

A message from the Washington State Booster Seat Coalition
© 2003 Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center

1/3 Page Flyer

o FFamily
amily Education Specialists – Our booster seat materials were
y Outreach tto
sent to educators at community colleges and other organizations who led classes
on child development and parenting. We encouraged child passenger safety
and booster seat information to be included in modules on safety and car travel.
We also provided information to organizers of parent support groups for their
fairs and small group discussions.
Prescription Pad
Prescription for Car Safety
Name
Recommendations:
___ Up to at least
20 lbs.

Height
Up to at least 1
year old

Weight
Rear-facing Seat
(infant or
convertible)

___ 20 to 30 lbs.

Less than 1 year
old

Rear-facing Seat
(convertible)

___ 20 to 40 lbs.

Over 1 year old

Forward-facing seat
with harness

To see if the seat belt will fit your child, try the
following test.*
1. Does the child sit all the way back against the auto seat?
2. Do the child’s knees bend comfortably at the edge of the
auto seat?
3. Does the lap belt fit snugly across the top of the
thighs?
4. Does the shoulder belt come across the center of the
shoulder and chest?
5. Can the child sit like this for the whole trip?
If you answer “no” to any of these questions, your child
needs to ride in a booster seat.
*Used with permission from SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A.

___ Over 40 lbs. &
under 4 ft. 9
in.tall.
___ At, or over 4 ft.
9 in.tall (generally
about 80 lbs and at
least 8 years old).

Booster Seat with
lap and shoulder
seat belt

PROGRAM ACTIVITIES

y Elementar
Elementaryy School Outreach – We educated elementary school students and
their teachers directly through a safety program that a local ambulance company
offered. EMTs, who are popular with students, invited students inside an
ambulance so they could practice using a booster seat on a demonstration vehicle
seat. We also sent an educational flyer and a coupon home to parents through
school and Parent Teacher Association (PTA) mailings. We delivered educational
materials, including a poster, to the school nurses and school principals for
posting and/or distribution. Finally, we submitted articles for school newsletters.

Types of Boosters
No-back booster

Lap and Shoulder
Seat Belt (Never put
the shoulder belt
behind the back or
under the arm)

for cars with built-in
headrests

High-back booster

NOTES:

for cars with or
without headrests

Always follow the instructions that come with the child safety seat or booster
seat.
Always use both the lap and shoulder belt with your booster seat.
Some booster seats come with a harness for children weighing between 30 to
40 lbs. Remove the harness when your child outgrows it, or reaches 40 lbs.
The back seat is the safest place for all children to ride.

High-back booster with harness (use as
a car seat with harness until 40 lbs. then
remove and use as a booster seat with lap
and shoulder belt)

For more information:
Visit www.boosterseat.org or call 1-800-BUCK-L-UP.

Shield booster

front

5/03

Using the shield portion of
this booster is no longer
recommended

back
36

air
y Outreach at Health FFair
airss – We set up information booths and
displays at health fairs held at hospitals, clinics, community centers,
and schools through all stages of the campaign. Besides answering
questions, we weighed and measured children using a colorful “Child
Passenger Safety Scale” and provided recommendations on which
safety restraint was best for the child. We used a specially designed
“prescription pad” form to write the recommendations on and to
provide families with written information about booster seats. When we were
unable to staff a booth for the fair, we sent along information and discount
coupons that parents could take with them.
estiv
als and Child-Orient
ed
y Outreach at Community FFestiv
estivals
Child-Oriented
Fair
airss We attended neighborhood festivals and events
centered on booster-size children to help deliver our
message to parents. We found the child-oriented events,
such as the KOMO-TV Kids’ Fair, more useful than street
fairs and other festivals that do not always attract a large
number of families with booster-size children. Activities at
these events included Polaroid photos of children properly
seated in a booster seat, coloring activities, height/weight
measurements using our “Child Passenger Safety Scale,”
and booster seat raffles.
ea
way Ev
ents – Throughout the campaign, organizations
y Seat Check and Giv
Givea
eaw
Events
in the Coalition organized or assisted with booster seat fittings at seat check
and giveaway events. Coalition members, many of whom were volunteer child
passenger safety technicians, fit hundreds of children in booster seats. When
needed, booster seats were provided free to the families. These events provided
parents with hands-on demonstrations and information about how to use their
particular booster seat. Events were held at hospitals, fire departments, police
departments, retail stores, car dealers, and community organizations during
the spring, summer, and fall months.
hood Community Association Outreach – To reach families on a
y Neighbor
Neighborhood
neighborhood level, we communicated with leaders and newsletter editors of
community associations. Neighborhood groups are often homeowners’
associations or community clubs, and they work with a city’s town hall in
bettering the community. These associations also provide a useful grassroots
communication network for information about booster seats. Newsletter articles
and educational materials were provided to the association leaders. These
materials were distributed at block parties and neighborhood block watch
events.

PROGRAM ACTIVITIES

Height/Weight
Scale

HEALTHCARE:
·
Hospital Community Health Education Departments
·
Hospital Emergency Rooms and Trauma Nurse
Coordinators
·
Pediatric and Family Medicine Clinics
·
Public Health Nurses and Departments
CHILDCARE:
·
Child care centers
·
YMCAs and other after-school programs
·
Headstart and other programs for early education of lowincome children
SOCIAL SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS:
·
WIC Clinics
·
Libraries
·
Shelters
·
Social and Human Service Agencies
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS:
·
Community Centers
·
Senior Centers (to reach grandparents)
·
SAFE KIDS Coalitions
OTHER:
·

Native American Tribal Governments

PROGRAM ACTIVITIES

erials Mailings tto
o Community Organizations, Healthcare and Childcare
y Mat
Materials
Pr
ovider
s, and Social Ser
vice Cent
er
Pro
viders,
Service
Center
erss – We mailed educational materials to
various community organizations that serve families and children throughout
the course of our campaign. These mailings included order forms and
information resources that the recipients’ could contact for additional
information. Our mailings were sent to the following organizations:

A booster seat discount program has been a key component of the Washington
campaign. Many families and organizations have called the toll-free hotline, visited
the web site, or contacted us simply because we offer coupons. From 2000-2002,
we offered a $10 discount toward an Evenflo® low-back booster seat that was
sold at Fred Meyer, a local retailer with stores throughout the state. This coupon
brought the price of a booster seat to under $20 – an affordable range for many
families according to our focus group testing. In 2003, we began offering a new
coupon, good for $5 off any Cosco® brand booster seat sold at Target Stores, a
national retailer with a statewide network of stores. The coupon allowed families
to purchase a low-back booster seat for approximately $12 and a high-back booster
seat for $25.

WHY USE A COUPON PROGRAM?
Increasing access to booster seats is the most important reason for including a
coupon program in a campaign. Even though some booster seats are priced
affordably for families, the seats are still too expensive for many. Focus group
research has shown that cost is one of the biggest barriers for parents. A discount
coupon helps remove, or reduce, this barrier for low-income and middle-income
families. Many families have told us that they appreciate the information provided
on the coupon and that it maked a difference in their decision to purchase a seat.
Booster seat coupons also help promote booster seat use by drawing attention to
booster seats. The coupon encourages families to consider buying a booster seat.
Doctors, child-care providers, and public safety officials may be more likely to
distribute information to parents if they see a benefit for the family in the form of
a discount coupon.
Because coupons attract attention, a discount program can help you reach more
families with your message and educational materials. The reverse side of our
coupons included brief information about which children need booster seats and
why booster seats are needed. If a parent picked up only the coupon, she or he
would still get exposure to our key messages.
A booster seat coupon also benefits your campaign by helping you build
relationships with community businesses. When discussing a coupon program or
when surveying the neighborhood to find out what stores offer booster seats, you
convey to the store owner/manager that booster seats are important products to
offer. If store owners know this, they may be willing to help you with a coupon
program or with an educational program. Fred Meyer and Toys ‘R Us supported a
number of car seat checks during the campaign.

COUPON PROGRAM

INCREASING USE THROUGH A
DISCOUNT COUPON PROGRAM

Target Coupon

E
L
P
M
A
S

SETTING UP A COUPON PROGRAM
Setting up a booster seat discount program is a challenging task, but the rewards
for your campaign and for families are worth it. It takes time and energy to make
contacts and build relationships with community businesses. It also takes time to
sell your idea to the business and, if successful, design, print and distribute the
coupons. Below is a checklist to follow in creating a coupon program for your
community.
Find out what ssttores sell boos
boostter seats in the community and where
re
tail ssttores are locat
ed. Are they accessible to the communities you want
retail
located.
to help? Do the stores market to your audience and does your audience
shop there? Do they carry a wide selection of booster seats? Are their
prices reasonable so that a discount will be enticing and helpful for
families?

COUPON PROGRAM

Fred
Meyer
Coupon

De
Dettermine what yyour
would
offfer
er. Consider the
our ideal discount coupon w
ould of
type of seats your target families need, what discount would be enticing,
and how long the coupon program should last. Focus group testing can
help provide some of these answers.

porat
e of
tailer
oac
h the regional or cor
boostter seat re
retailer
tailerss and
Appr
Approac
oach
corporat
porate
offfice of boos
manufacturer
our pr
ogram. Write an introductory letter and
manufacturerss about yyour
program.
include an executive summary of your overall program. Describe how the
coupon program would benefit the communities you serve. Share how
your booster seat education program can benefit the retailer or
manufacturers. If a company representative is interested, provide a list of
the key components of a coupon program. Many coupons involve a shared
cost arrangements between the retailer and the manufacturer.
or boos
ormation tto
o appear on the re
se
Arrange ffor
boostter seat educational inf
information
revver
erse
side of the coupon. As discussed above, the back of the coupon is an
excellent avenue for delivering your message. For families who do not
receive other educational information, the coupon may be the only written
information that they see.
our com
pan
o educat
e their em
plo
compan
panyy contact tto
educate
emplo
ployyees about the coupons.
Ask yyour
To help this effort, offer to provide your contact with an information flyer
that can be displayed in company workrooms. Provide them with booster
seat educational materials in case managers wish to empower their sales
representatives with knowledge. A knowledgeable sales staff are better
positioned to answer parent questions and sell the right product.
w the com
pan
paign b
oviding redem
ption
Discuss ho
how
compan
panyy can help the cam
campaign
byy pr
pro
redemp
o trac
k coupon pr
ogram and o
paign ef
eness.
inf
ormation tto
track
program
ovverall cam
campaign
efffectiv
ectiveness.
information
Raw sales data may be difficult to obtain as this information is often
confidential. The retailer may be willing to share how many coupons were
redeemed per store. Consider coding and tracking coupons by distribution
method to determine which channels are most effective. Tracking codes
may be an additional burden for the company, however, so this may not be
possible.

COUPON PROGRAM

tner
o help with the cos
ts of printing and dis
tributing coupons.
Find par
partner
tnerss tto
costs
distributing
Plan who, ho
w, and when tto
o deliv
er these tto
o families. The retailer may
how
deliver
agree to print the coupons or another community partner may be able
assist. Some partners may just wish to have their logo printed on the coupon
in exchange for free printing services.

ther community dis
tribut
or
o aler
alertt
Encourage coalition member
memberss and o
other
distribut
tributor
orss tto
store manager
managerss about upcoming educational e
evvents that ma
mayy bring
cus
o the ssttore. Retailers want to have enough seats to meet
custtomer
omerss tto
customer demand, and many stores do not keep large quantities of stock.
Positive relationships also help if you need to smooth out any problems
that arise or want to hold future events at the store.
s, community
hec
k in cchec
heck
heck
members,
Periodically cchec
hec
k in with coalition member
contacts, and families tto
o ffind
ind out ho
w the
how
pr
ogram is doing. Also, cchec
hec
k in with yyour
our
program
heck
com
pan
compan
panyy contact. Provide updates to
Tips to Remember When
company contact on how the coupon
Developing a Coupon Program
program has helped the families in your
Partnership
community. Troubleshoot any problems
·
Be prepared to contact
that arise.
many company
representatives before
finding the right person.

Be prepared with a quick
summary of your program
and how the coupon will
help the company and the
community. Your
company contact may only
have a brief moment to
consider your proposal.

Be prepared for the
decision-making process
to take a long time.

Be prepared to negotiate
and accept compromise.

Be prepared for businesses
to turn you down.

COUPON PROGRAM

wledge and thank yyour
Ackno
knowledge
partner
tner. Issue a press release to
our coupon par
tner
recognize your partner’s support in keeping children safe and send thank
you letters. Ask coalition members to act as community ambassadors by
thanking their local store branch.

EVALUATING YOUR CAMPAIGN

WHY EVALUATE YOUR CAMPAIGN?
A carefully designed evaluation strategy is just as important as the campaign
strategy. If your campaign works, you want to know! If it does not work, you want to
know that, too, so you can figure out your next steps. An evaluation can show if
booster seat use has changed in your community and which families have begun
using them. It can give information on whether parents are receiving campaign
materials. Program evaluation can also highlight campaign needs. For example, it
can identify high-risk neighborhoods where booster seat use is low or identify an
age group that is not responding to the current message. In short, a careful
evaluation is not only an integral part of a booster seat education campaign, but
also a critical part of program planning for the future.
Program evaluations also serve a public relations function for the campaign. Sharing
results from a survey of booster seat behavior will provide a reason to contact the
media. Press stories generated from this information will provide another
opportunity for your audience to hear why booster seats are important. Reporting
increases in community booster seat use shows non-users that booster seats are
becoming more widely accepted, perhaps prompting them to join the bandwagon.
Evaluation results may provide opportunities to improve campaign funding – an
essential need for continuing your good work! Potential grant-making organizations
and in-kind donors are interested in hearing what you have done and how you
have made an impact on the community. They like to know that their will be wellspent and will make a difference in the lives of families. Resources are always
scarce and it is important that they be used wisely. An evaluation is the only way to
now this.

EVALUATION

Evaluating a booster seat campaign will measure how effectively it has delivered
a message to your audience. An evaluation is often seen as the last step, but it is
actually done throughout the course of your campaign. You should determine how
you will evaluate your program when you initially plan the framework for your overall
campaign. There are different types of evaluation activities and different
approaches to take depending on program goals and resources.

TYPES OF PROGRAM EVALUATIONS
Each campaign is designed around a measurable objective. The role of program
evaluation is to determine whether that objective was met. Evaluation of the primary
campaign goal – for example, whether you increased booster seat use or whether
you increased awareness about the booster seat law – is called the “outcome
evaluation”. Evaluation of what you did in your campaign is called the “process
evaluation”.
43

How We Designed Our Booster Seat Observation Surveys in King County, WA
For our research study, our goal was to increase booster seat use in King County
and we chose intervention neighborhoods to specifically study. Then we made our
goal more specific: to increase booster seat use by at least 10 percent more than
booster seat use in control neighborhoods. Of course, it would be wonderful if
booster seat use resulted in fewer child deaths or hospital admissions, but detecting
a difference in child deaths, which fortunately are rare relative to booster seat
use, would have been a prohibitively large and expensive study. So we settled on
increasing booster seat use. We decided that we could best measure booster use
by directly observing children in the car, since we had concerns that families would
not be able to accurately report booster seat use, either because they were confused
about what a booster seat was, or because people generally over-report behaviors
which are socially desirable.
e. We measured baseline booster seat use in each of the 12
• Objectiv
Objective.
communities beginning in January, 2000. Follow-up observations were
conducted 15 months later, beginning in March, 2001. We conducted
observations at 83 child-care centers and after-school programs.1, 2
• Collaboration. One key component of our booster seat campaign was
forming collaborations with knowledgeable individuals and organizations.
This is also important in developing an evaluation plan. Consider working
with colleagues who have evaluated other programs. Partnerships with
academic institutions or a school of public health or public health officials
may also provide critical expertise to help plan a successful evaluation plan.
We worked with academic researchers who had evaluated other community
campaigns, and got statistical advice in our study design and analysis from
an epidemiologist at the University of Washington.

EVALUATION

OUTCOME EVALUATION – MEASURING CHANGE IN BOOSTER SEAT USE
In our booster seat campaign, our goal was to increase booster seat use among 48 year-old children. Our outcome evaluation, therefore, was a survey of observed
booster seat use. As our campaign was based at a regional injury research center
and affiliated with a university, we used a scientific research method to evaluate
program effectiveness. Your campaign does not need to be evaluated by a formal
research study, but you can still conduct an effective evaluation in your community.

er
ol areas. Our campaign was community• Choice of int
inter
ervvention and contr
control
based, and so we were interested in the use of booster seats in our four
intervention neighborhoods. We chose eight neighborhoods in two other
cities (Portland, Ore., and Spokane, Wash.) as our control neighborhoods.
These control neighborhoods were important for our campaign, because
we thought that booster seat use might continue to rise even in the absence
of our campaign, and therefore we wanted to separate out any general
trends in booster seat use from the impact of our campaign activities.
thods. After pilot testing our survey with families,
• Sur
Survvey design and me
methods.
we designed a very short survey tool to measure booster seat use. Cars
were approached in the parking lot at pickup times only after the driver
had an opportunity to secure any children in the vehicle, and to fasten his
or her own seatbelt. Cars leaving with only a non-ambulatory child were
excluded from the survey. When stopping parents who are already in a car
with their children, it was very important that the survey was brief (less
than one minute of parent time). Appendix XXX has a copy of our survey
instrument. We asked parents very simple questions about the age and
weight of child occupants, and then asked about why they chose their
restraint method, and whether they were aware of the booster seat law.
Trained observers conducted the survey and directly observed and recorded
car seat use for all child occupants.

EVALUATION

• Ethical design. Consider the ethical implications of your study and
evaluation. In our institution, any research plan must be presented to and
approved by the Human Subjects Division, which reviews our methods and
plan. The risks to an evaluation are that a driver might feel his or her privacy
is being compromised, or may not wish to talk with the observers, or may
feel that he or she is made to feel embarrassed or ashamed if children are
not in the proper restraint. We minimized these risks in the following ways:
(i) getting written consent from observation sites; (ii) handing an information
sheet about our study with study contact information to each driver, (iii) we
did not record identifying information about drivers or passengers, such
as license number, name, or telephone number; and (iv) providing each
driver with beneficial information about booster seats.

esting the sur
• Pilo
Pilott ttesting
survvey instrument. A pilot study was conducted to
determine the feasibility of the observational study and brief survey. This
was critical in making sure questions were understandable, observers were
clear on their instructions, and the questionnaire was brief enough for
parents to answer quickly.
s. Observers were recruited from local colleges and
• Hiring obser
observver
ers.
communities through newspaper ads in college and local newspapers. All
observers underwent a standardized three-hour training program to explain
the aims of the study and the methodology. Practice observations were
conducted under supervision prior to data collection. Observers were taught
about child passenger safety, how to identify car seats, and interview
techniques. We emphasized the importance of treating parents with respect
at all times, even when it appeared their children were not properly
restrained. Teams of two or more observers visited each site. Having two
observers lessened the chance of erroneous data, sped up data collection
at busy sites, and provided companionship and safety. As we have branched
into communities with non-English speaking families, we have begun to
employ bilingual observers and study materials.

EVALUATION

es. We conducted observations at 83 child-care centers
• Obser
Observvation sit
sites.
and after-school programs.1, 2 Since the booster seat promotion campaign
was neighborhood-based, these sites were chosen in order to measure
booster seat use in the local 4-8 year old population, rather than the wider
population of children one might expect to find at a toy store or larger
shopping center. We decided to approach parents who were picking up
their children at child care centers and schools, feeling that they were less
rushed at pick-up than at drop-off. Fast food sites were pilot-tested but
were not used as observation sites because very few booster eligiblechildren per hour were observed, making observations too inefficient, and
because several communities had only one or two fast food restaurants
within their borders. Random intersection sites were not used because
the study required that vehicles be stopped and approached, so that drivers
could be directly questioned about child age and weight. Our coordinator
obtained a list of child care centers and after-school programs, and then
called each site with more than 20 enrolled children of booster age in
order to get permission to conduct our survey. We emphasized that it was
a brief survey, families would benefit from receiving information about
booster seats, and our professional observers would stop by to introduce
themselves to office staff, and would be wearing official safety vests.

Performing a careful evaluation is not cheap, but
putting resources into an ineffective campaign is
not cheap either. Evaluation costs may be partly
shared among collaborative partners. State safety
officials may already be considering child
passenger surveys in your area. Explore these
options as you consider what components to
include in the evaluation of your campaign. When
possible, budget for evaluation activities at the
start of the project and build in the analysis plan
into your campaign.

TIPS FOR SETTING UP COSTEFFECTIVE BOOSTER SEAT USE
OBSERVATION SURVEYS
· Partner with your state Office of
Highway Safety or other public
safety organizations who may be
considering surveys in your area.
· Hire part-time college students as
observers or partner with a
university class to carry out some
of the work for course credit.
· Use existing staff to coordinate
research observations.
· Ask coalition partners for
donations of study materials (i.e.
maps, printed survey forms)

PROCESS EVALUATION – MEASURING WHAT
YOU DID
“Process evaluation” tools can help measure and
document the activities of your campaign. For
example, how many brochures did you distribute to parents? Through what
channels? Was a booster seat law passed? How many coupons were distributed,
and how many coupons were redeemed by retailers? How many individuals called
a local phone hotline for information and advice?

EVALUATION

• Organization of obser
observvations. The organizational skills of our program
coordinators were critical to the success of these observations. Our program
coordinator kept spreadsheets of approved observation sites, and
communicated with observers by email daily in order to schedule sites and
observers. She collected weekly observation forms, and was available to
troubleshoot any problems that might
arise.

In the Washington campaign, there were a number of process measures used,
including tracking data on coupon delivery and redemption, channels and number
of booster brochures and fliers distributed, participation in community events,
formation of a parent advisory group, collecting statistics on visits to our
www.boosterseat.org web site, tracking paid media spots, and collecting press
clippings on news coverage. Keeping track of these program activities helped
guarantee that campaign goals were being accomplished.

FUNDING THE CAMPAIGN

BUDGET ITEMS FOR A BOOSTER SEAT CAMPAIGN:
y

Pr
oject Coor
dinat
or –You will need a paid project staff member to coordinate
Project
Coordinat
dinator
the campaign, mobilize community organizations, and manage day-to-day
administrative tasks. This could be a part-time position.

Educational Mat
erials and Media – Educational materials and media are
Materials
key components of any campaign. You may produce brochures, information
sheets, posters and paid media advertisements, including radio and TV spots,
depending on your communications strategy. You may be able to use existing
materials that have already been tested and developed. If you choose to create
your own materials, you will need resources for product design, creation, and
production. There are also costs to distribute materials. This will be one of the
campaign’s biggest expenses. Many, if not all, of these costs can be covered
through donations or grants. For paid advertisements, many media outlets will
offer non-profit organizations a price reduction, either through matching paid
spots at a 2-to-1 or 3-to-1 rate or by offering reduced rates.

Mee
ting and Ev
ent Costs – You will need funds to support coalition meetings,
Meeting
Event
press events, and community outreach activities such as booster seat fittings.
You may also need funds to pay for booths and attendance at health fairs,
community festivals, and family events. If you are part of a non-profit
organization, many of these costs may be waived or reduced. You can save
money by partnering with other organizations attending the event. Seattle
Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, for example, has included
the Booster Seat Coalition’s booth in its area at our region’s annual Kids’ Fair
event.

Parent FFeedback
eedback and Pr
ogram Ev
aluation Costs – Conducting focus groups
Program
Evaluation
or parent feedback sessions, and assessing the success of your campaign
requires funding support. You can save money by conducting your own focus
groups or by relying on previous focus group research to understand parental

FUNDING

A successful booster seat campaign will require funding to pay for program
activities, staffing, and communications. What you can accomplish will depend
upon the amount of funding your organization can obtain, either through direct
grant support or through partnerships and the pooling of community resources.
You can run a program on as little as $25,000 or on as much as $250,000 per
year. There are creative ways to make a booster campaign work even on
relatively little funding. Costs can be defrayed by asking for in-kind donations
from community organizations and businesses, and by sharing costs with
partners on program activities.

Operations Costs – Office space and equipment, computer and phone
support, day-to-day mailing and delivery charges, and support from organization
administrative staff will also be a part of your campaign budget. Few
organizations will donate monies to cover these costs, so it may help to run the
campaign out of a larger organization. The Booster Seat Coalition received
generous operations support from the Harborview Injury Prevention and
Research Center during its campaign.

FUNDING SOURCES
There are many public and private organizations that are willing to support booster
seat education campaigns and programs. Increasing booster seat use has become
a priority for federal and state agencies. Moreover, promoting children’s health
and safety is a focus area for many private foundations. Few organizations will pay
for staff time and administrative costs, but many will consider funding for
educational outreach, booster seats for distribution to families, and materials
development, including focus groups, creative development, and printing. Some
organizations, primarily public agencies and private foundations, will fund research
costs for program evaluation.

FUNDING

attitudes and beliefs about booster seats (see section XX above). To save money
on program evaluation, you do not need to engage in a formal research
evaluation study that requires surveying large numbers of people and studying
a control group. Instead, you can conduct periodic observational surveys in
your community to track the effects of your campaign.

Potential Sour
ces of Grant FFunding:
unding:
Sources
e, and local agencies (National Highway Traffic Safety
y Federal, stat
state,
Administration, state Offices of Highway Safety, local health and public
safety departments)
y

Priv
at
e ffoundations,
oundations, national and local (American Automobile
Privat
ate
Association, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, local hospital foundations,
other foundations focused on children’s health)

Community or coalition par
tner
partner
tnerss (hospitals, local SAFE KIDS Coalitions,
private businesses, such as insurance companies)

or pr
ojects (i.e. hospital funds for projects
Organization em
plo
projects
emplo
ployyee funds ffor
for patients)
49

Public relations and adv
er
tising com
panies for creative consulting and
adver
ertising
companies
production work

Media com
panies
companies
panies, such as TV broadcast outlets, for creative consulting
and production work. These companies may also be able to help partner
your campaign with a local business who would like to sponsor a community
education project.

Boost
er seat manuf
acturer
tailer
Booster
manufacturer
acturerss and re
retailer
tailerss for discount coupons or
discounted seats. Retail partners may also be willing to hold an educational
outreach event at their store, donating a venue, staff helpers, and
refreshments for attendees.

Insurance com
panies for
companies
materials creation, media ads,
booster seat donations, and
outreach event venues

Car dealer
dealerss for media ads,
booster seat donations, and
venues for outreach events

The Washington State Booster Seat Coalition
has received generous campaign support
from the following organizations:
The Ambulatory Pediatrics Association
American Public Health Association
The American Trauma Society
Bartell Drug Company
The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
Children’s Hospital and Regional
Medical Center
Evenflo Corporation
Fred Meyer Stores
Group Health Community Foundation
Harborview Injury Prevention and
Research Center
KOMO-TV
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration
Nesholm Family Foundation
Safety Restraint Coalition
State Farm Insurance
Target Stores, Incorporated
Washington Traffic Safety Commission

FUNDING

Potential In-Kind Donation Sources:
at
e businesses for printing and production of educational materials,
y Priv
Privat
ate
media buys, booster seat donations, food and venues for meetings and
booster seat fittings

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Boosterseat Campaign Manuel Manual

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