BATON ROUGE, LA — The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is highlighting its commitment to child passenger safety ahead of Seat Check Saturday on Sept. 26. DCFS is proud to partner with the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission and other safety partners across the state to help families ensure children are properly secured while traveling.
“As a mom of three daughters, making sure my children are safe every time they get into a car is something I’m constantly thinking about,” said DCFS Secretary Rebecca Harris. “I encourage all our families to take advantage of Seat Check Saturday. Even if you’ve been using car seats for years, it never hurts to have someone take another look. We do everything we can to protect our children, and sometimes, it’s the smallest details that matter most.”
DCFS takes safe transportation seriously because vehicle safety overlaps with child safety. The department works to ensure foster caregivers and all our families have the resources, training and equipment needed to safely transport children in their care.
- Foster caregivers are required to have a safe vehicle, insurance and an appropriate car seat or restraint system before providing care for a child in foster care, among other requirements.
- DCFS makes car seats available to caregivers working with our department to ensure children have the appropriate safety resources while in their care.
- DCFS provides annual car-seat training. Child welfare staff are required to complete training each year on the appropriate use and installation of car seats.
- DCFS encourages all families it serves to take advantage of car-seat safety resources, including having their car seats checked by state troopers, fire departments or other trained professionals. Child Passenger Safety Fitting Stations may be found statewide with over 600 nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians available to make sure your child’s safety seats are installed properly.
Seat Check Saturday will be held 9 a.m. to noon on September 26 at nine locations across Louisiana: Baton Rouge, LaPlace, Lake Charles, Shreveport, Lafayette, Monroe, Alexandria, Mandeville and Raceland. Nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians will be available to provide free assistance.
- Specific Seat Check Saturday event details and locations: Louisiana Highway Safety Commission — 2026 Seat Check Saturday
- DCFS Foster Parenting Requirements including information on car safety tips: https://dcfs.louisiana.gov/child-welfare/foster-parenting/
- More Child Passenger Safety tips from the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission: Louisiana Highway Safety Commission — Child Passenger Safety
