Tips for Parents

Have your child fingerprinted and keep the booklet in a safe, accessible place along with updated pictures. Have an accurate physical description including such things as scars, moles and birthmarks. Call CHILD FIND if you need a new booklet.
Teach your child their telephone number, area code and address.
Show your child how to dial the operator and 911 and practice what to say.
Know where your child is at all times.
Don’t let your child go to a public restroom alone.
Don’t leave your child alone in a vehicle.
Don’t put your child’s name, first or last, on hats, caps, jackets, bikes, wagons or anywhere that is visible to strangers. A person who calls your child by name will automatically be thought of as a friend not a stranger.
Teach your child to avoid strangers. A stranger is someone they do not know very well.
Don’t leave your child alone in the toy section of a store or mall. Teach them to go to a cashier for help if they do get lost.
Know your child’s friends. Be involved in your child’s activities.
Practice walking routes to and from friends’ homes, school etc. with your child and instruct them to use those routes only.
Make it clear to your child which of their friends homes they may go to, to play or visit and what a BLOCK PARENT home is.
Listen if your child tells you that he or she does not want to be with someone. Find out WHY. Encourage communication.
Notice if someone pays undue attention to your child.
Never belittle any fear or concern your child has: real or imaginary.
Tell your child that if anything happens, you will look for them no matter how long it takes to find them.
Have a secret code word with your children that only you and they know.