That’s what happened last week in Dayton when a 5-year-old boy used a cell phone to call 911 and report that his mother had been shot and couldn’t be awakened.
While some may wonder how a child so young had the presence of mind to know what to do, early childhood teachers and child psychologists aren’t surprised.
“I’ve heard of 3-year-olds calling,” said Sarah Fillingham, director of behavioral sciences at Dayton Children’s Medical Center. She said most youngsters should be able to make that kind of emergency call by the age of 5.
Still, Fillingham says it’s important to know your children and at what age they are mature enough to discriminate between what’s real and what’s play. Otherwise, your preschooler might call 911 all the time.
Most preschools include emergency education in their curriculum, often bringing in guest speakers from a local fire or police department. But that doesn’t let parents off the hook. In addition to what’s taught elsewhere, parents need to provide training at home that’s based on their own specific circumstances.
“If something happens in school, the school will lead them through the safety plan there, but if something happens at home, they aren’t going to have the specific plan for their own house,” Fillingham explains. “You can’t teach all kids to go to a neighbor, for instance, if they need a doctor. Some children may not have neighbors.”
Kim Grisez, director of Mini University at Miami Valley Hospital, supervises a staff that teaches children how to be safe. She, too, emphasizes that parents must be involved.
“The parent is a child’s first teacher,” she says. “It’s really first the parent’s job and we reinforce that learning.”
Most preschools begin by teaching children their full names — that’s because some kids are used to being called by a nickname. Children also learn their home addresses, phone numbers and parents’ names. Those are basics that can also be practiced in a home setting, too, or in the car when you’re driving.
Then it’s time to move on to tornado and fire drills and teach children how to dial 911.
Grisez says it’s important not to frighten children and to make learning fun. Kids can role play the phone call, for example, with a nonworking telephone.
“I would suggest to a parent that they have a land line not just cell phones, because there may not be a cell phone available to a child at the time,” Grisez says. “ If you have a land line, the child will know where that is. Tell them the reasons you would need to call 911: if someone is really hurt or somebody is really sick.”
Kathy Sager, early childhood teacher at Horace Mann School in Dayton, also practices the 911 calls with discarded cell phones she picked up at a cell phone store.
“I give them little quizzes,” she explains. “If somebody hurt themselves and mommy couldn’t dial it herself what would you do? What would you say? Let’s practice!”
Sager tries to come up with catchy slogans the kids can remember when teaching about emergencies. The family can practice leaving the house in case of fire, for example, by using the slogan: “Don’t Hide, Go Outside!” They should also be taught to meet at a designated place in the yard, and not to return to the house for a pet or doll.
“I teach them that they always have to have a plan for an emergency,” Sager says. In the case of a fire, she asks them what their plan would be for getting out quickly.
There’s dramatic play and dress-up as well: “Let’s all crawl like we’re getting out of the house!” she suggests. Kids don tiny uniforms so they won’t be afraid of a uniformed adult.
Sager invites the fire department to bring a fire engine to the school and talk with children. Parents can stop at a neighborhood fire station with their kids on a family outing.
The Dayton Area Chapter of the American Red Cross offers a one-hour class for kids as young as 5 that will teach them how to respond to basic emergencies.
“I used to open up the class by telling them these are good things to know because we may be the right person at the right time in an emergency,” said the organization’s Soteria Brown, who now serves as development and communications specialist. “We tell them we’re not professionals, but we never know when we’ll be able to help our friends.”
Kids who take the Red Cross class learn how to cover a hurt person with a blanket and how to wrap a wound. Brown says the kids love the classes because they are fun and include lots of role-playing.
“We’re going to act like we’re taking a hike and someone gets hurt,” they are told. Then they learn how to tell if the person is conscious or unconscious.
Ann Stevens, spokeswoman for Montgomery County Department of Job and Family Services, says it’s extremely important that young children never be left alone. Despite having an adult present, there may be times, she said, when a young child is going to have to become the adult.
“Accidents do happen,” she said. “We hear of stories where a mom slips and hits her head, or grandma can’t talk or get up, for example.”
“In any situation, it’s always a good idea to have a backup plan. What you want to do is emphasize in simple terms what you’re asking a child to do. You don’t want to scare or alarm them, but you want them to take it seriously.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2440 or mmoss@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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