Milestones
2023
KID launches the Safety Forward Program to more effectively outreach to underserved communities. The monthly Recall Digests are translated into Spanish every month to better serve Spanish-speaking families.
2022
KID successfully advocates with a coalition of consumer groups and parent-advocates for a series of child safety bills in Congress: Safe Sleep for Babies Act, Reese’s Law, and the STURDY Act which protects children from unsafe sleep products, button and coin cell battery ingestion, and furniture tip-overs.
KID launches the Design Safety Toolkit, a free online course that provides children’s product developers with the information and tools they need to design, develop, and market products more safely.
2021
The CPSC’s safety standard for infant sleep products goes into effect. This new rule mandates
that all products marketed or intended for infant sleep must meet the requirements of the federal bassinet safety standard (except for cribs, bedside sleepers, and play yards which must meet their respective safety standards). This rule will protect infants from hazardous products such as inclined sleep products which have led to dozens of deaths.
2020
KID moves the Safe from the Start workshops virtual as COVID-19 changes the way KID conducts its outreach and education. KID hosts a successful virtual Best Friend Award Night.
2019
KID joined Deloitte employees and their children on Take Your Child to Work Day to assemble, decorate and write notes for safe sleep kits for over 120 Chicago area new parents.
2018
KID’s Board works to plan for KID 2.0, launching a new website and forming task groups to move forward on design safety, outreach to parents and caregivers and using technology and data to drive the next improvements in product safety.
2017
Linda Ginzel steps down as KID President after 20 years and is succeeded by longtime board member Shawn Kasserman, paving the way for the next 20 years of KID. KID’s role as a watchdog of children’s product safety is more important than ever and the board is committed to growing to meet the need.
2016
KID, in conjunction with Shane’s Foundation, rigorously tested 19 furniture units and created a report on the regularity and severity of furniture tip over. This report was invaluable in shedding light on tip over dangers and calling for further regulation. The testing was conducted by UL in their Michigan lab.
2015
KID launched a Young Professionals Board. This group of devoted individuals plays an integral role in supporting KID with fundraising and outreach.
2014
KID joined other consumer advocates to work with the industry for the first voluntary standard for liquid laundry packets, candy-like packets that became an emerging hazard as children ingested the toxic substances. Work continues to document the effect of the standard.
2013
The KID Running Team was formed, and 26 supporters participated in the Naperville Inaugural Full and Half Marathon, raising $16,000 to further KID’s life-saving cause.
2012
After conducting its own research and convening a panel of health experts, Maryland became the first state to ban the sale of crib bumpers, following the lead of Chicago. Maryland found that the suffocation and strangulation risks of bumper pads outweigh any possible benefits.
2011
SaferProducts.gov was launched, providing the public access to some of the wealth of information CPSC collects on products and their hazards and the ability to report product incidents.
2010
Two important parts of Danny’s Law were implemented – the requirement for product registration cards and online registration plus the strong mandatory standard for cribs. This law was a major victory for product safety.
2009
KID launched the Debby Sayah Grandparent Outreach Program to provide grandparents with information to avoid dangerous products to keep their grandchildren safe. Debby was Andy Sage’s grandmother. KID also released our first public opinion research on parents’ understanding of product safety issues.
2008
After much advocacy, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which includes Danny’s Law, was signed into law.
2007
Known as the Year of the Recall, 2007 saw a Pulitzer Prize winning series in the Chicago Tribune on children’s product safety. This series shed light on many of the hazards facing the public including drop-side cribs, small magnets and lead toys. KID gained a national presence.
2006
To reach out to parents and caregivers, KID created the Safe from the Start Program which gives parents and caregivers the tools they need to keep children safe. A DVD was produced to share KID’s safety message broadly and help to create safe environments for kids.
2005
KID held our first event in New York City hosted by Judy and Mark Sage in conjunction with the opening of the Museum of Modern Art “SAFE” exhibit. Andy Sage had suffocated on a sleep positioner. His death and others eventually led to the banning of these dangerous products in the U.S.
2004
KID added Family Voices to our website, sharing the stories of dozens of children who had died or been injured because of dangerous children’s products. Their families shared their pain and continue to work to keep other children safe.
2003
The TEST, or Teach Early Safety Testing, Program was created to encourage the incorporation of design safety in engineering curriculums.
2002
KID released its first recall report, Clear and Present Dangers: Children’s Product Recalls in 2001.
2001
KID grows by hiring a full-time executive director Nancy Cowles and holding the first KID Best Friend Award Night. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky introduces the first Infant and Toddler Durable Product Act, later incorporated into the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008.
2000
The Children’s Product Safety Act passes in Michigan and Linda and Boaz receive the 2000 Presidential Service Award from President Clinton.
1999
Danny’s parents’ first action was to introduce and pass with unanimous support, the Illinois Children’s Product Safety Act through the Illinois General Assembly. This act requires retailers to remove dangerous recalled products from their shelves, as well as prevent their use in child care facilities.
1998
KID Founded. Tragically in 1998, Danny Keysar was the 5th victim of a recalled and poorly designed portable crib. His parents, Linda Ginzel and Boaz Keysar, founded KID in his memory.
