Q: I want to know why the Safety Town program doesn’t teach children their area codes, along with the home phone numbers. Last year, I talked with organizers about this. I was led to believe this would change, but this year when my children came home they had not been taught their area codes.

A: With most of Oregon’s phone numbers falling under the 541 area code, Safety Town Coordinator Javon Johnson said teaching children those digits seemed less crucial than being sure they learned their home phone numbers. He also wanted to make the exercise easier for participants, who are all 5 to 6 years old.

“There’s a lot of information to cover during Safety Town week,” Johnson said. “I wanted to simplify the learning of their phone numbers since some of them could not read their numbers.”

Johnson has coordinated Safety Town for the past two years, and serves as the teen director for the Boys & Girls Club of Southwestern Oregon. The safety program is typically held for a week during the second week of August, he said. This year, 27 children learned about safety in a variety of locations and scenarios, including on the playground, in the water, on a bicycle or while crossing the street. They also learned how to deal with fire and what to do if they find a gun or knife. North Bend fire and police, as well as Coos Bay police departments, assisted with the program.

Johnson said the Safety Town kids are so young and he thinks it’s important for them to learn safety techniques early.

“It seems like a perfect age to teach them, so that they can use that information in the future,” he said.

— Jessica Musicar, Staff Writer