Keeping Kids Safe During The Holidays

With the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it is easy for children to become separated from their parents or guardians during family outings, class trips, or shopping excursions.

Before heading out this holiday season, be sure to review some basic safety tips with young children and teens, to prepare them in case they are separated from their family or find themselves in an uncomfortable situation. It is important to teach kids the skills and confidence to be knowledgeable about how to handle the situation, instead of avoidance and fear.

With this in mind, Honeywell and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children have created “Got 2B Safe!” — a child safety program that stresses four easy-to-remember rules for kids.

1. Check First. Children should always check with parents and guardians before accepting gifts, rides, or invitations from anyone, including friends, acquaintances, and especially people they do not know.

2. Go With a Friend. Simple and straightforward: never go anywhere alone. Being with another person in public is safer and more fun.

3. It’s My Body. Teach your children they have the right to say No to any unwelcome, uncomfortable, or confusing touch or actions by others.

4. Tell a Trusted Adult. Teach children to tell a trusted adult — parent, guardian, teacher, etc — if anyone or anything makes them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused.

“It is crucial to arm our children with positive and empowering safety skills,” said Tom Buckmaster, president of Honeywell Hometown Solutions. “Honeywell is committed to providing students and teachers with programs and experiences designed to keep America’s children safer.”

To further address the issue of child safety, Got 2B Safe! provides teachers, parents, and guardians with tools to help keep children safer. Activities, games, and guides are available for free online at www.Honeywell.com/Got2BSafe.com.

The program is designed to educate 8- to 10-year-olds and their parents and guardians on how to help prevent abduction and sexual exploitation.

And helping kids to be safe can be doubly rewarding for schools, as teachers who make child abduction prevention a priority in their classrooms are eligible to win a classroom makeover worth $10,000 or $500 in classroom supplies as part of a Got 2B Safe! Awards Program.

The Got 2B Safe! Awards Program began on November 1 and will continue through January 31. Anyone interested in the contest and the program itself can view www.Got2BSafe.com.