Why Jay Whatley’s Thankful for CARKEYS Child Seat Safety Checks

As a parent, this graphic is something that really caught my attention:

My daughters, River and Rosie, have officially moved into booster seats. It's an exciting time but it's always important to make sure your children are safe inside your vehicle, no matter the age. The Kohl’s and LSU Health Shreveport CARKEYS program have teamed up to increase awareness about car seat safety and to train Child Passenger Safety Technicians.

"The CPS technicians then educate the community through the CARKEYS free car seat checks and Kohl’s funded fitting stations located throughout Northwest Louisiana," according to the program website. "CPS technicians remove and inspect car seats and then show the family how to properly install the car seat, providing a new one when necessary."

How easy is that? You walk away knowing that you're using the appropriate equipment for your child and that it's properly installed, both of which are important for drastically reducing the chances your child would die or be seriously injured in a crash.

I must admit that after nearly nine years of being a parent, I was surprised at how much I didn't know about children's safety in car seats/booster seats. I'm personally thankful to have a resource like LSU Health Shreveport to help educate me on what's safe for my children, and more importantly, what's not.

To learn more about the program, visit this website or call 318-626-2139. Appointments are available from 2-4 p.m. each Thursday.