Future Site
Ground Breaking
Ariel View
Waterloo Region’s Children’s Safety Village was initiated by the Waterloo Regional Police Service as
a community program designed to provide local students with a unique learning opportunity with
the focus on experience-based safety training.
A dedicated steering committee was established in 1990 with representatives from the local school
boards, Waterloo Regional Police Service, an architect, accountant, construction engineer, as well
as concerned citizens of the community. The proposed site would include a classroom, where
regulation traffic signs and lights could be presented to the children. The site would also include
a village area, complete with paved roadways, one-way streets, a railway crossing and scaled
down buildings.
The cost of the non-profit project was estimated at $750,000. Funding was received through
donations from local businesses, service clubs, and community members. Cash donations and
donations in kind were used to acquire the necessary items to run the Village – items such
as bicycles, helmets, signs and battery operated cars.
“Village Businesses” were invited to design and construct replicas of their buildings on a chosen
site. The Village initially contained 16 major buildings, with room for future expansion.
A centrally located 2 ½ acre site was chosen behind Waterloo Regional Police Headquarters. With
most of the funding in place, construction commenced in 1991 and was completed in time for the
1992 school year. The Village officially opened in September 1992 and well over 10,000 children
passed through the facility in its first year of operation.
Over the next few years, the Village began to grow, both in popularity and in size. Another ten
major sponsors were welcomed, bringing the total number of buildings to 26. New features were
added, such as the interactive telephone, to allow children to practice dialing 9-1-1. Attendance
reached near capacity, averaging 12,000 students per year.
In 1994, a dedicated volunteer from the K-W Civitan Club was visiting the Waterloo Regional Police
Children’s Safety Village just as a school bus circled the drop-off area of the facility. Much to his
surprise, he discovered that the bus was only half full. Questioning why the bus would not be full of
children eager to participate in the Police road and traffic safety program, he was made aware that
the existing Village was only able to accommodate 35 children at a time, although the capacity for
the school bus was 72. He immediately recognized the opportunity to expand the existing Village to
include a Fire Education classroom. This new center would compliment the Police Safety program.
In 1996, the Fire Departments in the Region began construction on the new Fire Education Centre,
containing another classroom, video room and interactive smoke house, where children would be
taught all aspects of fire safety. In November of 1997, this world-class facility, the first of its kind
in Canada, opened its doors, catering to three different grade levels - promoting and teaching the
“Learn not to Burn” curriculum.
The cost of the project was $420,000 and was a collaborative effort between the Waterloo Regional
Police Service, The Fire Services from the Cities of Kitchener, Cambridge and Waterloo, the two
School Boards, the K-W Civitan Club and many local corporations who donated professional services
and building materials to help make the dream a reality.
Since the inception of the Village in 1992 and the addition of the Fire Education Program in 1997
the Waterloo Region Children’s Safety Village has educated more than a quarter million students
throughout the Region.
Ed Davies – that dedicated volunteer from the K-W Civitan Club says: “If the center ultimately saves
the life of one child, it will all be worthwhile”.
a community program designed to provide local students with a unique learning opportunity with
the focus on experience-based safety training.
A dedicated steering committee was established in 1990 with representatives from the local school
boards, Waterloo Regional Police Service, an architect, accountant, construction engineer, as well
as concerned citizens of the community. The proposed site would include a classroom, where
regulation traffic signs and lights could be presented to the children. The site would also include
a village area, complete with paved roadways, one-way streets, a railway crossing and scaled
down buildings.
The cost of the non-profit project was estimated at $750,000. Funding was received through
donations from local businesses, service clubs, and community members. Cash donations and
donations in kind were used to acquire the necessary items to run the Village – items such
as bicycles, helmets, signs and battery operated cars.
“Village Businesses” were invited to design and construct replicas of their buildings on a chosen
site. The Village initially contained 16 major buildings, with room for future expansion.
A centrally located 2 ½ acre site was chosen behind Waterloo Regional Police Headquarters. With
most of the funding in place, construction commenced in 1991 and was completed in time for the
1992 school year. The Village officially opened in September 1992 and well over 10,000 children
passed through the facility in its first year of operation.
Over the next few years, the Village began to grow, both in popularity and in size. Another ten
major sponsors were welcomed, bringing the total number of buildings to 26. New features were
added, such as the interactive telephone, to allow children to practice dialing 9-1-1. Attendance
reached near capacity, averaging 12,000 students per year.
In 1994, a dedicated volunteer from the K-W Civitan Club was visiting the Waterloo Regional Police
Children’s Safety Village just as a school bus circled the drop-off area of the facility. Much to his
surprise, he discovered that the bus was only half full. Questioning why the bus would not be full of
children eager to participate in the Police road and traffic safety program, he was made aware that
the existing Village was only able to accommodate 35 children at a time, although the capacity for
the school bus was 72. He immediately recognized the opportunity to expand the existing Village to
include a Fire Education classroom. This new center would compliment the Police Safety program.
In 1996, the Fire Departments in the Region began construction on the new Fire Education Centre,
containing another classroom, video room and interactive smoke house, where children would be
taught all aspects of fire safety. In November of 1997, this world-class facility, the first of its kind
in Canada, opened its doors, catering to three different grade levels - promoting and teaching the
“Learn not to Burn” curriculum.
The cost of the project was $420,000 and was a collaborative effort between the Waterloo Regional
Police Service, The Fire Services from the Cities of Kitchener, Cambridge and Waterloo, the two
School Boards, the K-W Civitan Club and many local corporations who donated professional services
and building materials to help make the dream a reality.
Since the inception of the Village in 1992 and the addition of the Fire Education Program in 1997
the Waterloo Region Children’s Safety Village has educated more than a quarter million students
throughout the Region.
Ed Davies – that dedicated volunteer from the K-W Civitan Club says: “If the center ultimately saves
the life of one child, it will all be worthwhile”.
