Keeping your children safe from home to school and back again.

Protecting the children in our community goes beyond the school classroom walls.  We depend on parents, teachers, neighbors, law enforcement agencies, the fire department, grandparents, extended family, caring citizens, and others to help watch over children and each other.  Our community is not immune to bad things happening whether you’re at a shopping center parking lot, a sidewalk, a local park, or on the way to a bus stop.

Being  part of a caring community means that it is our responsibility to keep our eyes and ears open for those that may need our support and possibly our help.  Part of that responsibility is taking the time to educate ourselves and our children on how to identify risky situations and how to stay safe, through personal safety education.

Callahan Walsh, of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, recommends four rules to teach children when it comes to personal safety.

1. Always check first. "So that's if you are accepting anything from an adult you don't know or going anywhere without your parent, there is a change of plans, check first, that is rule number one," says Walsh.
2. Take a friend or buddy because there is power in numbers, according to Walsh.
3. To tell a trusted adult if someone makes you feel sad, scared, confused or uncomfortable.
4. Make children aware that it is OK to say no if something doesn't make them feel safe.

A great resource is  https://www.kidsmartz.org/ParentTips - “Here you’ll find helpful information about abduction, common tricks, and empowering messaging to share with your kids. Download the tip sheets and a going out checklist to role-play and practice safety. Use the fun, printable activities for kids to reinforce the 4 Rules of Personal Safety.” - kidsmarts.org

Here are few to highlight:

• Safety is about more than memorizing rules. It’s also about knowing how to act when it matters. Use these tips and practice scenarios to help your child learn what to do in risky situations.  TIPS FOR PARENTS: SAFETY SCENARIOS
• There are also helpful tips for middle and high school students.  Heading out for some family fun at an amusement park, movie theater, mall or any other public place? Use this checklist to make your outing safer.  TIPS FOR PARENTS: GOING OUT CHECKLIST

Let's work together as a community to keep kids safe!