What Makes Kids in the Know Unique?
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection believes the best way to promote child personal safety is to use a community-based approach that involves children, educators, and parents, as well as community agencies. As adults, it is our shared responsibility to safeguard children and teach them skills that will help keep them safe.
The Kids in the Know program stands apart from most personal safety education programs. "Stranger Danger" has long been the foundation of most of these programs, with the key message being "Don't talk to strangers." Placing the emphasis of safety education on a fear of strangers is not an effective approach to protect children from victimization.
Lessons in the Kids in the Know program are unique in the following ways:
- Lessons are matched to outcomes mandated by Departments of Education in all jurisdictions across Canada.
- Lessons deal with both personal safety and addressing sexual exploitation.
- Lessons are designed to prepare students for learning by drawing on their past experiences, thereby activating prior knowledge. It also allows for the scaffolding of new concepts.
- Lesson plans and activities can be adapted to meet the individual needs of children.
- Lessons offer multiple opportunities for behavioural rehearsal and skill-building.
- Lessons incorporate technology and address safety concerns and risks associated with online activity. Information is gleaned from Cybertip.ca to create current, developmentally-appropriate prevention material.
- Lessons are designed to utilize a common language to facilitate the way we teach children/youth about their personal safety which is critical if children decide to share difficult experiences with adults.
- Many lessons include take-home activities so parents and educators can work together with children to make safety strategies an integral part of their everyday lives.
- Lessons are coupled within individual grades (Kindergarten to Grade 9).
Training is offered to educators on the issue of personal safety and child sexual abuse and the staff at the Canadian Centre for Child Protection offer continual support and guidance with the Kids in the Know program.
Research suggests that when safety education becomes an integral part of a child’s everyday life, personal safety strategies are more likely to be both used and successful.
Learn about what helps inform Kids in the Know
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection is a leader in the development of awareness and educational products dealing with personal safety. In order to ensure lessons and safety strategies are current and effective, the Kids in the Know program is informed by the following programs:
Cybertip.ca : Canada’s tipline to report the online sexual exploitation of children.
Information gleaned from public reporting to Cybertip.ca is unique in its content and overarching scope, providing insight into child sexual exploitation, its victims and their vulnerabilities, and its perpetrators and their techniques. This data helps inform Kids in the Know’s lessons and personal safety strategies. The content is therefore based on current trends and research, enabling professionals to teach children effective personal safety strategies that take into account the prevalence and use of technology in the world today.
Student Advisory Groups
Each year our Kids in the Know program runs student advisory group discussions with children in grades 4, 6 and 8 to better understand what is on the minds of students, what technologies they’re using, and where there might be gaps in knowledge. We use this information to build comprehensive lessons students can relate to.
MissingKids.ca : Canada’s missing children resource and response centre
The Kids in the Know program lessons are informed by trends identified by, and knowledge gained through, MissingKids.ca. Children and youth are provided with current safety strategies to help prevent them from going missing.