Northwest Arkansas

Safety Town was founded by policeman Frend Boals in 1937 in Mansfield, OH as a traffic safety education program for pre-kindergarten children.The program was expanded and updated by nursery school teacher Dorothy Chlad in 1964 in Bedford, OH as a comprehensive safety education program. Mainly through the efforts of the National Safety Town Center, the program grew from approximately 20 in 1964, to 100 in 1973, to 700 in 1983, and to 3500 in 2013. 

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When sisters Diana Plattner and Meredith Henson moved to NWA, they were surprised to find that Safety Town did not exist in Northwest Arkansas. They had attended as children in Little Rock and still remembered the lessons and songs. As their children approach “safety town age”, and with the help of their families and Wendy Saer of Safety Town Central Arkansas, Safety Town NWA is a reality. June 23, 2025 will be the first NWA Safety Town. 

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Safety Town is a fun, five-day safety awareness program designed for children entering kindergarten. Through the use of music, crafts, movies, books, community speakers, and a child-sized town, the children are taught basic safety lessons that they can use for the rest of their life.

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