ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – In just hours, Orange County leaders will look at a recommendation to install barriers at dozens of day cares. It's an idea inspired by the crash last year that killed a 4-year-old at KinderCare.
"If you go there today, KinderCare is much different than it was on the day of the accident," said Orange County Fire Chief Otto Drozd.
Currently, the day care off Goldenrod Road now has concrete rounds and planters, but there are more than 700 day cares across the county.
Following the April 9 crash, the Orange County mayor requested that leaders from various departments study crashes that could be a public safety threat.
"It is much more common than we ever thought it was," said Drozd about the results.
In the last two years, there have been 72 car versus building crashes in the county. So the Orange County Fire chief will pitch the idea to commissioners that more barriers are needed for new day cares and existing ones.
As a mother of a 2-year-old, Jennifer Diminich said last year's crash hit close to home.
"You always think about your own day care when things like that happen," Diminich said.
Her son goes to Little Angels Pre-School in East Orlando.
'We have a wall that's part of a subdivision here. It acts as a natural barrier between us and Dean Road, which is a very busy road," said Michelle Balaban, director of Little Angels Pre-School.
Balaban said she supports any idea that encourages safety.
"There are not too many of us that are going to say 'No, we don't want this.' We are going to say 'Yes, it is a good idea.' If it's going to protect children, we want it done," Balaban said.
If more safety measures are put in place at the certain day cares, it could run about half a million dollars, according to Drozd. The idea would be to get funding through a grant.
Stay with Local 6 News to find out how the board responds to the recommendations.