1.  Teach your child never to talk to strangers or accept rides or gifts from strangers. Remember, a stranger is anyone you or your children don’t know well or don’t trust.
2.  Teach your children to yell “that’s not my Daddy/Mommy” when approached by a stranger.  Bystanders often ignore a child that is yelling “help” or “stop” because they think they are throwing a temper tantrum.
3.  Be sure that your child knows his or her parents real name, home phone number and address, your work number, the number of another trusted adult and how to call 911 for emergencies.
4.  Children who walk to school should use sidewalks whenever possible. On streets with no sidewalks, walk on the side of the road, facing traffic.
5.  Walk the school route along with your children before the first day of school to make sure it is safe and your child knows the route.When you can’t walk with your children, encourage them to walk with a friend .Encourage your kids to avoid short cuts unless they have been approved.
6.  Cross the street at least 12 feet in front of the school/city bus, where the bus driver can see them and they can see the bus driver.
7.  Never put a child’s name on their backpack or any place it’s visible to strangers.  Using a child’s name is one of the first and easiest ways for a stranger to establish trust with your child.
8.  When home alone tell children to keep doors locked at all times, and never open the door. Tell children that they should never give out personal information over the phone, or volunteer family schedules or whereabouts to callers they do not know.
9.  Tell children to never approach the car of someone asking for directions, or agree to help an adult search for something. If they sense trouble from a stranger, they should run to the nearest public place for help.
10.  Teach your children the difference between appropriate touching and touching that makes them feel scared or uncomfortable. Tell them that they should talk to you if anyone — a family friend, neighbor, baby sitter or relative — tried to touch their body.

If you have any tips for parents or children please share them in the comment section below.

About DAWG

Direct Action Welfare Group (DAWG) is a statewide grassroots organization comprised of current and former public assistance recipients, low wage workers, people living in poverty, and concerned individuals who come together to share information and ideas and to advocate for each other, their neighbors, and themselves. Direct Action Welfare Group’s vision is the end of poverty in West Virginia. In order to make this vision a reality, we advocate with low-income families for economic justice

• 
• 
• 
•