• During the summer months children tend to be:
    • Outdoors more
    • Home alone more
    • Supervised less
    We Believe No Child Should Be At Risk:
    • A parent or guardian is the best person to teach a child about personal safety.
    • There is no perfect age to begin teaching children about personal safety.
    • A child’s ability to comprehend and practice safety skills is affected by age, educational, and developmental levels.  
     
    Safety Tips to Teach Children
     
    Their name, address, telephone number
    • How to use the telephone
    • Whose homes they may visit when you’re not there
    • Where they may and may not go in the neighborhood 
    Home Alone Safety: Teach Children
    • Not to open the door unless you have instructed them it is okay in each and every instance
    • Not to tell anyone they are home alone
    In case of an Emergency: How to reach you?
    • Cell phone, work phone
    • Who else they may call
    • Neighbors, family members, other trusted adults
    Potentially Dangerous Situations: Teach Children
    How to recognize and avoid potentially dangerous situations
    • To say NO and make a scene
    • To immediately get out of these situations
    • To immediately tell you or another trusted adult if something happens 
    Vehicle Safety: Teach Children
    • Never to approach or enter a vehicle, occupied or not, unless accompanied by you or another trusted adult 
    General Tips for Adults: Stranger-Danger Myth
    Do not confuse your children with the concept of strangers
    • Statistically incorrect
    • Kids don’t “get it”
    • Adults don’t model it
    • Inability to access help
     
    Remember most children are victimized by someone they know, love, or trust
     
    Know Where They Are:
    • Know their daily habits
    • Know their friends
    • Check in with them
    • Have them check in with you
    • Make sure they are supervised when outside and away from home

    Listen and Observe

    • Where don’t they want to go?
    • Who don’t they want to see?
    • Is someone showing them too much attention?
    • Has their behavior or attitude changed?
    Precautionary Measures:
    • Take color photographs every 6 months
    • Keep a description of your child
    • Keep copies of your child’s fingerprints
    • Consider having a DNA sample taken from your child
    • Know where your child’s medical records are located