Literacy Opportunity for Safety Awareness Month

June is Safety Awareness Month

Imagine your child telling you about a safety lesson he had, urging you to buy a smoke alarm for the home. You get that alarm, but have no idea what to do with it because you can’t read the instructions. Smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, warning labels on common household products, even medications come with instructions that 30 million adults in the U.S. cannot read or comprehend.

ProLiteracy and the Home Safety Council partnered to provide fire safety and disaster preparedness materials that can be used by adults at all reading levels.“The schools and fire and life safety educators are doing a great job of reaching the children,” says Linda Church, ProLiteracy special projects associate director. “Unfortunately, one in five parents won‘t be able to read the safety materials they bring home. The Home Safety Literacy Project makes it possible for family members to learn together.”

Most fire safety materials used by fire departments throughout the country are written at a 6th grade level. Free materials designed for adults with low literacy skills or adults learning English as a second language are available and would be great starting tools for lessons with your students.

For more on National Safety Month:
National Safety Council
Home Safety Council

Click here for more information on literacy and public safety