Guard a Kid

“He was right here a minute ago.”  “I only turned my back for one minute.”  “She never wanders away.”  These excuses and many more often accompany a panicked parent when they discover their child is not at their side.  Children are reported missing every day, making it more important that we keep our eyes on them at all times.

Before the unfortunate happens and you cannot find your child, look to a portable child locator device that acts as a GPS system.  These small but mighty electronics are programmed to your computer within a particular perimeter, allowing the parent to check in on their location at a moment’s notice. This child locator device can also be programmed to send updated texts to your cell phone in order for the child to report in their location easier.

Some devices are waterproof, others are shock resistant.  They are very accurate, with some models able to pinpoint the location within 15 feet.  A panic button is included that allows a child to silently press a button and alert you to their location within seconds. A distress signal is sent to your phone or email, as well as a location beacon on a map.

Child locator devices are readily available, and are another way to provide more accurate security.  Rechargeable batteries make the child locator device always ready, and the small size makes them perfect to take on field trips, family vacations, or any time your child may be away from your home.

As a parent, we all like to think we have eyes in the back of our heads, or at least make our children believe we do.  Our busy lives make it hard to keep a watchful eye on our child every second, and the harsh reality is that a child is reported missing every 40 seconds.  With the assistance of child safety devices, the job of a parent can become a little easier when we can’t be with our child every minute.

There are different child safety devices available that store crucial information about your child.  ID bracelets or devices that attach to key rings house USB keys that provide up to date information.  Current photos, physical descriptions, emergency contact information for parents and daycare providers, medical information such as certain conditions, health insurance information, and more are stored on these small keys that can be instantly inserted into any computer.

Parents can easily obtain kits that assist them in creating these simple child safety devices.  Some allow them to make and store a set of fingerprints.  If a child has serious conditions such as diabetes, allergies, or other serious problems, documentation can be stored that medical personnel can instantly access.  These devices are inexpensive and simple to use, as the kits will simply guide the parent through each step in obtaining information.

Imagine your child gets separated from a school group, or friends at an amusement park.  The information stored on one of these devices will assist law enforcement in helping that child find their parent quickly.  The devices can be worn like a bracelet, or even attached to a ring like a key chain.  They are small an unobtrusive, yet the key making your child safer.  Any parent should consider a child safety device to assist with medical issues, as well as another set of eyes to watch over what means the most to them.

One of the most precious things in life is our children.  Every day, thousands of children are reported missing, as statistics say it is every 40 seconds.  Some of these tragic reports turn out to be kidnappings, as incidents of violence against children are on the rise.  Parents sometimes take for granted that one of the easiest ways to ensure their child’s safety is with proper child identification cards.

The National Child Identification Program was created in part to teach parents the proper channels for child safety, and highly recommends using kits to create child identification cards.  Through a simple process, parents create a set of ten fingerprints that are applied to a card, along with a clear, current photo, contact information, and a physical description.  This information can be immediately given to law officials in case of emergency and increase the response time to a crucial situation.

Child identification cards are easy to create, and should be updated each year as the child changes.  Parents are urged to not wait until school age is upon them and be proactive with the cards starting at birth.  The harsh reality is that situations can arise at any time, and being able to provide this information at a moment’s notice helps law enforcement as well as missing child agencies react with more thorough information.  The ID card can come in handy for a variety of reasons in addition to criminal situations:  if the child becomes lost while traveling, if there is an accident or injury, or if there has been a natural occurrence such as a storm or earthquake that separates the child from family.

The simple steps for making a child identification card make it easy for parents to ensure their child’s safety.  Knowing that fingerprints are one of the most reliable ways to identify a child, other than DNA, make these cards extremely viable.  Many kits take this information one step further by being able to save it digitally on a CD ROM, so that the images can be sent electronically to any law enforcement agency within seconds.  Child identification cards are one step in keeping your child safer with the most up to date information in case of any emergency.

Many parents, family and friends look for fun games for children during the holidays.   There is a great, fun game that also teaches child safety!

The Child Safety Boardgame

The Safety Game is both entertaining and educational.  This great game:

• Helps kids and parents express feelings
• Introduces ethical, positive role models
• Let’s you know how your child may be at risk
• Helps the family create a positive learning experience and atmosphere
• Teaches different options about tough situations

Our blog now contains information about missing children as provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

We encourage you to visit our blog often to find information about missing and exploited children so you too can do your part in helping reunite children with their families and help stop exploitation of children.

If you have information on a missing child please call your local law enforcement and call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at:  1-800-THE-LOST® (1-800-843-5678).

As the holiday season approaches it is important to keep your children safe.  The holidays are fun, festive and a prime season for child predators to be on the lookout for opportunities.  It takes only a few seconds for you to become distracted in a mall or other public space and for your child to be abducted.

Parents should be on the ready.  Child identification kits can help keep your child safe.  Being able to provide updated photograph and other vital statistics immediately to law enforcement and safety officials can help bring your child back quickly and safely.

When a child goes missing it is natural for the parent to panic and be unable to adequately describe their child and provide a recent photograph.  Ask yourself right now, when you are not in a panic mode how tall your child is, how much do they weigh and how accurately can you describe them.  Most parents can only give approximate height and weight information and may struggle to provide identifying characteristics, especially if they are panicked.

The Smart ID Stick is a great option for parent, especially if you have multiple children.  This one stick can contain all of the information for your child or children and be immediately handed to law enforcement in case of emergency.

Many of our franchisees also offer child identification events  and fundraisers to help all children get much needed child identification kits.  Call us to learn more or find a franchise by clicking HERE.

Hollywood Florida is on high alert after two attempted abductions of teen girls.  The sketch of the attempted abductor is posted and anyone with information should contact the authorities.  Police ask anyone with information about the incidents to call Hollywood Police at 954-967-HELP (4357) or Broward County Crime Stoppers, anonymously, at 954-493-TIPS (8477).

Suspect in Attempted Abductions

These attempted abductions underscore the risk of all children including teens.  As children become more mobile (able to walk to and from school, the bus stop, friend’s homes, etc) it is increasingly more important that parents consider their child’s safety.

Did you know that the FBI receives well over 2000 missing children reports daily?!?   In the United States, a-child goes missing every 40 seconds.   Recent statistics show that your child has  1 in 42 chance of going missing.

Parents in the Hollywood Florida area are turning to their schools and officials for answers and safety.  Child identification programs are being scheduled at schools from Pre-K through 12th grade to ensure that parents have everything they need should their child ever go missing.

Think about the last time you could not find your child even for a few seconds.  That panic is only magnified when those seconds become minutes.  It is essential you have the information law enforcement needs to begin a search. The first hour is the most critical hour.

In addition to child safety kits, child gps products are flying off the shelves as parents want to know where there children are at all times.