As Kids In Danger Closes, KID Design Safety Toolkit Passes to International Consumer Product Health

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 13, 2024

Contact: Nancy Cowles; nancy@kidsindanger.org; (312) 218-5593.

ICPHSO: Marc Schoem; marc.schoem@icphso.org; (301) 728-2360

As Kids In Danger Closes, KID Design Safety Toolkit Passes to International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization

[Chicago, IL] - Kids In Danger (KID), a Chicago-based nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting children by fighting for product safety, is closing operations this month. KID was founded in 1998 by the parents of sixteen-month-old Danny Keysar who died when a portable crib collapsed around his neck in his Chicago child care home.

Over the past 25 years, KID has been instrumental in driving stronger regulations for children's products, raising awareness of product safety hazards, and providing parents, caregivers, and manufacturers with tools to keep children safe. While KID will be ending their operations, its legacy will endure through its educational materials, advocacy efforts, and resources that will remain available to those working to prevent product-related childhood injuries and fatalities.

KID developed the KID Design Safety Toolkit to improve children's product safety by examining design safety and real world use concepts with support from Amazon and others. The Toolkit is a free online course for children's product designers and manufacturers that launched in 2022. Learn more about the toolkit, contributors, and supporters here.

As part of KID's closing, the Toolkit was passed to the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization (ICPHSO). ICPHSO is one of the only places where all stakeholders in product safety come together to learn, share ideas and discuss current issues.

“KID felt that ICPHSO was perfectly poised to carry the Toolkit into the future,” stated Nancy Cowles, Executive Director of KID.  “KID has been involved for many years and knows the Toolkit will have a broad reach among ICPHSO’s members and participants in their annual Symposium in the US as well as internationally.  I am so proud of the KID Design Safety Toolkit and know it will be in good hands.”

Marc Schoem, Executive Director of ICPHSO, stated, "ICPHSO is pleased to continue offering the KID Safe Design Toolkit at no cost to individuals seeking training on the design of safe products. We greatly appreciate the recognition and trust placed in ICPHSO as the steward of this important training resource, which supports manufacturers and consumers in enhancing product safety.”

Moving forward, the toolkit will remain available free of charge to all interested parties and can be accessed at https://kidsafetytoolkit.org/ and soon on ICPHSO's website. We thank everyone who has supported and worked with KID over the years. We have entrusted parent and consumer groups with other KID programs. Full details here.

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Kids In Danger (KID) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting children by fighting for product safety. KID save lives by enhancing transparency and accountability through safer product development, better education and stronger advocacy for children.

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ICPHSO is a global non-profit organization founded in 1993. It hosts three annual conferences that bring together key stakeholders in product safety, including global regulators, product designers, manufacturers, importers, retailers, consumer and parent advocates, legal professionals, consultants, standards organizations, testing laboratories, certification bodies, academia, and researchers. This collaborative approach enables the exchange of information, discussions on best practices, awareness of emerging risks, and networking opportunities to advance product safety worldwide.