Intended Audience: Individuals who want to become certified CPS technicians and instructors in order to educate and assist the public on the proper use and installation of child passenger safety seats.

Program Focus: This program provides the basic technical skills, experience, and knowledge of the proper use and installation of child passenger safety seats that are required to conduct child safety seat inspections. To keep apprised of the technological changes and Federal regulations that affect the correct installation of child safety seats, technicians and instructors must be re-certified every two years.

Program Length: The NSCPS Training Program is approximately 32 hours long. It can be conducted in a variety of formats, such as, four days in a row and
two times a week.

Content: Upon successfully completing the training program, CPS technicians have the knowledge and skills to:

• Secure children in appropriate child restraint systems
  
  
• Install child restraint systems in multiple types of vehicles
  
  
• Educate others on how to correctly install child restraint systems in their vehicles
  
  
• Educate others about how to properly restrain children in motor vehicles
  
  
• Organize, coordinate, or assist at inspection stations and checkup events
  
  
• Use appropriate resources to retrieve information related to CPS
  
  
• Respond appropriately to legal and ethical issues related to the role of the
  CPS technician
  
  
• Obtain information from CPS resources in response to requests for information that is not readily available
  

Participants should be prepared for the physical activity required for installing child safety seats. Written and hands-on testing are required in order to receive certification. (Participants must attend the entire course to be eligible for certification.)

Instructional Staff: Only child passenger safety instructors who are nationally certified can teach this course. Additional staff may be needed for the hands-on portion of the training, which requires an instructor/participant ratio of one to five.

Participant Materials: Materials, such as participant manuals and handouts, are provided by the host agency.

Equipment: Presentation equipment (a PowerPoint or overhead projector) and supplies, as described in the Instructor Guide. A variety of child safety seats, locking clips, and other demonstration materials.

Room Requirements: A room large enough to comfortably seat the planned class size with extra space to set up child safety seats for demonstrations. Access to the outdoors is needed for hands-on training in vehicles.

Recommended Number of Participants: 20-25 participants

Cost to Host Agency: Costs vary and may include the cost of the facility, instructional team, food, audiovisual equipment, and materials.

Cost to Participants: There is a certification fee.