Child Safety Initiative

Providing new car seats to families in financial need

Family poverty is a complex issue and affects 1 in 7 children in British Columbia.

(Source: BC Child Poverty Report Card 2023 – First Call Child and Youth Advocacy Society (firstcallbc.org))

Many children in our province don’t use an approved child car seat when travelling by car despite the clear advantages of using one. The unfortunate reality is that some kids go unprotected because their families simply cannot afford the expense of a car seat.

United Way BC’s Child Safety Initiative believes that no family should have to put their child’s safety at risk because of limited finances.

“I love to get involved in local projects where I can see instantly the difference being made, especially for vulnerable families and kids. The United Way BC’s vision of making a positive difference in the communities in which we live is one which I echo at our Foundation. We are thrilled to support this collective action initiative which will ease the burden for so many struggling local families with little ones.”
– Paul Docksteader, Paul Docksteader Foundation

The Child Safety Initiative Program

The Child Safety Initiative was launched in 2015 as a partnership led by United Way to provide convertible car seats to families in financial need. Since then, United Way BC and partners have worked collaboratively to address this gap and have provided over 1,000 car seats across the Okanagan to community agencies that support low-income families.

Car seats are distributed to families in need through 40+ United Way charity partners in local & rural communities across the Southern Interior of BC, including Lake Country, Kelowna, West Kelowna, the Westbank First Nation, Summerland, Penticton, Oliver, Keremeos, Vernon, Lumby, Nakusp, Enderby, Salmon Arm, Sicamous, Revelstoke, and Kootenays.

The compound impact of COVID-19, cost of living increases, and the ongoing housing crisis have forced many families to make unthinkable decisions between the roof over their heads or safety as they drive around. In 2023, through the generous contributions of the funding partners, the initiative has distributed 342 car seats.