Car Seat Program

As a member of the Lorain County Safe Community Coalition, ECHD in collaboration with the Elyria Fire Department and EMH Regional Medical Center provide low cost child car safety seats to income-eligible persons.  Attendance at an educational program and training immediately prior to the purchase of the car seat is required. 

Car Seat Class Information:

ECHD Car Seat classes are held monthly by appointment at Elyria Fire Station #2, 330 East Broad Street, Elyria.  Classes may run between 45 minutes and 2 hours, depending on the number of attendees.

Seats provided for the program are Convertible car seats.  These seats accomodate children from 5 to 40 pounds and can be installed either rear-facing or forward-facing.  This program DOES NOT provide Infant Carrier style seats.

Cost of the car seat is $25.00. Please make checks payable to Lorain County General Health District -- not ECHD. 

Clients should meet WIC income eligibility guidelines to qualify for the program.  Clients receiving either Ohio Medicaid, WIC, food stamps, or cash assistance are eligible for the car seat program.  No one will be denied for inability to pay.

One car seat per child.  This program is unable to provide "extra" car seats for relatives or multiple cars.

If you are pregnant, you may prefer to attend class a month or two prior to your expected due date.

Persons eligible for car seats may include parents, custodial grandparents, adoptive or foster parents, or other relatives who have received custody of the child.

Vehicles must be brought to the program and must have working seat belts.  Persons attending class cannot be dropped off and picked up later.  The technician will install the car seat at the time of the class and will not allow a car seat to be given unless it has been properly installed.

Registrants may send a spouse, relative, or friend to attend the class in their place.  Please ask the substitute to inform the technician that they are attending on behalf of the registrant.

Please contact ECHD at 284-1573 to schedule an appointment.  You may also contact the following agencies who hold car seat classes by appointment:

Lorain County General Health District - (440) 322-6367

    9880 South Murray Ridge Rd., Elyria, OH 44035

Family Outreach Center (Resource Mothers) - (440) 233-1047

    221 West 21st Street, Lorain, OH  44053

Change in Ohio's Child Passenger Safety Law

Full enforcement of the changes in Ohio's Child Passenger Safety law began on April 7, 2010 - The law now requires that:

Every Child under 8 years old must ride in a booster seat or other appropriate child safety seat unless the child is 4' 9" or taller and;

Every child from 8 to 15 years old who is not secured in a car seat must be secured in the vehicle's seat belt.

Ohio's Child Passenger Safety Law is defined in Ohio Revised Code 4511.81. Click here for more information on this new law.