Moms Making A Difference: Kristen Kay, CPSTI-I

If you are in a South Bay Mommy group and have ever asked a question regarding car seats, chances are, Kristen Kay, CPSTI-I,  will jump in the conversation pretty quickly offering customized advise and support to moms in our community.  Kristen has such a passion for car seat safety that she gives so much of her time to support parents in making safe decisions for their children.

Kristen was nominated by moms in the community to be recognized in our new feature on Local Anchor, called “Moms Making a Difference.”  Keep on reading to learn more about why the community wanted to recognize her and all the hard work she does.

Tell us a little about you?

“Born and raised in Torrance! I have a husband and two boys (ages 10 and 6). For work, I am a CPSTI-I (child passenger safety technician instructor) and run @carseateducation on Instagram and Facebook. Teaching people how to install their car seats and host classes all over the South Bay and surrounding is what I do. Additionally,  I consult for a local nonprofit, SafetyBeltSafe, USA, and admin a large car seat group on Facebook! My heart and soul are dedicated to keeping kiddos safe in the car and doing everything I can to prevent tragedies.”

Do you live in the South Bay?  

“Right now I’m in Long Beach, but I spend about 80% of my time in Torrance since my family, work and drs/etc are located there!”

Tell us a random fun fact about yourself?

“I really want to sky dive but I’m too scared!!”

How do you give back to/support our community?

“I dedicate a huge majority of my time to helping families keep their kids safe. I host free/low cost check events, work on a sliding scale for private checks and spend countless hours online helping families with their car seat questions (at no cost!). It’s something I love doing and wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Favorite non-profit and why?”

“SafetyBeltSafe, USA. Like myself, their organization is dedicated to all things child passenger safety! Their mission is to help reduce the number of serious and fatal traffic injuries suffered by children by promoting the correct, consistent use of safety seats and safety belts. Considering motor vehicle crashes are one of the leading causes of death in children (in the US), this is a very important job we all have!”

“Kristen took her own experience of trying to keep her kids safe in the car and not only turned it into a career, but has made it a passion of hers. She is a wealth of knowledge for families and freely gives her time to help where she can. I feel privileged to call her a colleague and a friend.” -Mellisa Ramirez, CPSTI

“Kristen is dedicated to making sure that our community practices safe car seat use. Whether it’s driving all over LA County, and providing affordable car seat installation and checks, or simply answering car seat safety questions in the many Facebook groups she is part of, Kristen is knowledgeable, passionate and generous with her time. She’s also just an all-around good person, and an incredible mom.” – Kristine Lazar, Investigative Reporter for CBS 2 and KCAL 9 News

“Kristen is so quick to help! I had a question about transitioning from infant to toddler car seats and within minutes she was responding with her recommendation. Who knew these things were so complicated!? But when it comes to your child’s safety, we need someone like her that’s fully informed on all the best and most current options.” – Hillary Lewis, Co-Owner,  Shine Studio

“Kristen has helped me and my family out several times with her CPST skills. My husband and I both felt so much more knowledgeable and confident after Kristen’s training. She involved my daughter in the process of installation and safety training, which really empowered her, even at only 2 years old! Kristen is a gem and I’m so thankful for her service to our South Bay parents community.” – Renee Widener

“Kristen has been so fantastic with car seat advice, recommendations, and install help for our family. I can always count on her to come with sound advice, but also real parent perspective. I’m confident my kids, and so many others in the South Bay, are safer thanks to her hard work.” – Meghan Kinslow,  Sales Executive at Facebook

 Let us know how Kristen has impacted our community, leave a comment below!

Local Anchor is looking for local moms doing awesome things in our community and we need your help! Nominate a local mom that you’d like to see featured on our website for their awesomeness, community service, and just being a rock star mom! Click here to nominate!