Her cause: preventing future tragedies

Greg Risling

This week has been especially trying for Cindy Soto.

Not only did she expect public scrutiny for filing a civil lawsuit

against a preschool where her 4-year-old daughter, Sierra, was killed

last May, but she has been cleaning her house, sifting through her

child’s mementos.

And as she tries to emerge from her grief, she has found solace in

actively pursuing measures to prevent further tragedies from occurring.

Soto started her own nonprofit organization, called Sierra’s Light

Foundation, that seeks to improve the safety at child-care centers and

preschools. Soto has spent the last six months talking with state

legislators, speaking at public functions and working with businesses.

Although emotionally exhausted, Soto may be on the verge of her goal.

She has been contacted by Girls Inc., a youth organization in Costa Mesa,

about developing a safety-oriented plan. When a car came careening

through a chain-link fence on May 3, 1999, at the Southcoast Early

Childhood Learning Center where Soto’s daughter was killed, many parents

rushed to Girls Inc., thinking the crash had occurred there.

“We were all impacted by the situation last year,” said Girls Inc.

executive director Shelley Westmore. “It helped bring this issue to the

forefront. It’s important for all of us at school and youth centers to

make their sites safe as possible and minimalize the risk.”

Westmore and Soto’s foundation have worked together to draw up designs

for the facility. The plans include building a concrete wall and placing

a secure gate at the rear of the Anaheim Avenue lot. The building is

already equipped with a wall that partially abuts the property, but

organization directors would like to see more be done.

“While these incidents may be isolated, there still remains that

vulnerability,” Westmore said. “Compromising children’s safety isn’t

acceptable. We feel we are making a wise investment with these plans.”

Soto estimates the project would cost between $8,000 to $10,000. While

funding has been a struggle for the foundation, Soto hopes to obtain

Prop. 10 allocations and private donations to push her efforts along.

“If we can complete this project, we can show we have a model in place

that works,” she said. “This is for the safety and security of our

children, and that is what matters the most.”

Other preschools have acted quickly to improve on-site safety. Over at

the Westcliff Early Childhood Center, steel bollards were erected around

the playground that sits on Orange Avenue. Another day-care center in

Irvine has also implemented new strategies since the tragedy last May.

Soto said she has talked with operators of an Anaheim preschool

interested in improving their facility as well.

“There are many reasons why this should be done,” Soto added. “Not

everyone has children, but no one wants to see what happened to my child

occur again.”