Nominated by Dr. Kevin Borrup, Executive Director, Connecticut Children’s Injury Prevention Center
Last year, due to the high number of questions surfacing during the CPS meetings about special needs car seats, the Injury Free Car Seat Committee decided to create a subcommittee that would focus on special needs car seats and medical transportation for children. They asked Amy to lead that meeting. She organizes and facilitates the meeting bi-monthly to correspond with the CPS meeting, and provides an update to the entire CPS committee on what is discussed in the subcommittee. The group has 34 members from across the country. Amy has done an excellent job in this work!
Five years ago, Connecticut Children’s received $30 million as part of a Department of Education Promise Zone grant. Injury Free Hartford was an included partner in this effort, and this funding has allowed us to expand Injury Free Hartford to provide responsive after-school support to youth at the local branch of the Hartford Public Library. This effort is a replication of the Harlem Children’s Zone. Amy oversees our efforts within this larger project. Amy has also spearheaded efforts locally for National Injury Prevention Day.
Amy is known statewide for her work on road safety, overseeing about $1 million in road safety funding a year. Amy leads the Watch for Me CT campaign, funded by CT DOT, that focuses on pedestrian and bike safety. Amy is frequently interviewed to promote childhood safety, from e-bikes to window falls. Amy also oversees our 3-person child passenger safety team and developed and runs a loaner program for parents requiring specialty medical seats to safely transport their children.
The Injury Free Coalition for Kids proudly honors Amy Watkins as the 2026 Program Coordinator of the Year.
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