Keeping Kids Safe Where They Learn and Play
In partnership with the Institute for Childhood Preparedness (ICP), we’re helping childcare programs nationwide prevent vehicle-into-building and playground crashes — before they happen.
About the Collaboration
Every day, more than 100 vehicles crash into buildings across the United States — and early-learning programs are no exception.
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That’s why the Storefront Safety Council and the Institute for Childhood Preparedness have joined forces to deliver practical guidance and real-world solutions to keep children, staff, and families safe.
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This collaboration brings together engineering insight from the Storefront Safety Council and child-safety expertise from ICP — empowering early educators to take preventive action and protect the spaces where learning happens.
The Problem​
Vehicles crash into U.S. buildings more than 100 times a day, and early learning sites are no exception. An analysis of over 300 early childhood education specific incidents reveals that roughly half resulted in injuries. With classrooms and playgrounds often positioned just 25 feet from parking lots or drive lanes, a momentary pedal error during drop-off can breach the building's facade before anyone inside has time to react. This risk is frequent, foreseeable, and preventable, which is why practical, child-centered safeguards matter now more than ever.​
Our Objective​
Our goal is simple - to keep little learners, educators, and families safe where drop-off, pick-up, and play happen. Through the Council, we provide practical, evidence-based guidance that early childhood programs can use right away whether you’re in a leased storefront, a school building, a stand alone center, a religious facility, or a family child-care home.​
The Solution​
Our three-part series delivers practical, low-cost steps you can implement right away, designed specifically for early learning programs in leased storefronts, Head Start programs, stand-alone centers, faith-based sites, and family child-care homes.
Understand the risk (Part 1).
.How and why low-speed, pedal-error crashes reach façades and playground edges, and what that means for drop-off, pick-up, and outdoor play.
Assess your site (Part 2)
Map impact zones, document hazards within 25 feet of parking/drive lanes, and prioritize feasible fixes that work within landlord, zoning, or historic constraints.
Apply affordable fixes (Part 3)
Layer protection with simple options: wheel stops/curbs, staff-car shielding, raised planters/landscape beds, lighting/striping, interior room layout, and plain-language drills, plus how to measure if changes are working.