Safety

Report to Parents

Neighborhood Safety

Personal and neighborhood safety are topics parents should freely and openly discuss with their children. Use a calm, reassuring tone and avoid discussing details of what might happen. More importantly, be alert, listen to your child, know their daily activities and habits, and teach them to be assertive and self-confident. Take these simple steps to safeguard your children's safety.

Dangerous Situations
It's very difficult to teach children about dangerous people. Instead, focus on teaching them how to recognize and respond to dangerous situations. Teach your children:

To ask permission from you before going anywhere with any adult, even someone they know.
That grownups should not ask children for directions, to help look for a lost pet, or for any other help. They should ask older people.
To trust their instincts. If they get a "funny feeling" about a person or place, they should get away. They shouldn't be afraid to say "no," even to an adult.
To quickly get away if anyone tries to take them somewhere. Yell and scream that "this man is not my father" or "this woman is trying to take me away."
To never allow a stranger to take their picture and to tell a parent or teacher if someone tries.
To never walk or play alone. Always find a buddy.

Parents should always know where their children are, what they are doing, and who they're with.

At Home
Although your home is generally safe, teach your children:

To keep the doors locked when they are home alone and not to let anyone in the house, unless you tell them someone is coming over and give them prior permission.
To never reveal that they are alone when they answer the telephone.
Who to call and where to go during an emergency.

Interacting regularly with neighbors and knowing your children's friends and their families is a very important safety measure and a plus for everyone.

What You Can Do
The decisions and choices parents make impact their children's safety. Here are a few tips parents should keep in mind:

Be sure your children know their full name, home telephone number, and how to use a phone. Keep a list of important telephone numbers where children can see it.
Choose babysitters carefully, and always check references.
Practice safety phrases, such as: "This person is not my father" or "She can't come to the phone now, may I take a message?"
Set neighborhood boundaries on where your children may go, who they may see, and what they may do.
Never leave children unattended in an automobile.
Never allow children to go to a park, mall, movie theater, video arcade, or public restroom alone.
Label clothing, backpacks, and lunch boxes carefully. Visible names can put strangers on a "first name" basis with children.
Walk to and from school with your children or go to the bus stop with them.

The key to personal and neighborhood safety is effective communications. Try to maintain an atmosphere at home in which children feel comfortable discussing everything - including sensitive matters.

For more safety tips and additional child prevention education materials, visit www.missingkids.com or the National Crime Prevention Council at www.ncpc.org.

The above Report to Parents, was reproduced from a National Association of Elementary School Principals publication. You may visit them at www.naesp.org.