As spring break approaches for many high school students across the country, many parents worry about their child’s safety as they travel to various destinations to spend their break with friends. Law enforcement encourages parents to keep a close eye on their children at this time of year, not only as the break approaches but as the weather improves and children spend more time outside.
According to Officer Jeff Hopson of the Nacogdoches Police Department, they see a lot of criminal mischief during this time of the year. "We have the bb guns, and paint balls and so forth. Just keep an eye on their kids. Be careful, watch them. Don’t let them stay out late. If they have a lot of idle time, they’ll be on the roads and young inexperienced drivers can get hurt and cause a problem".
And while you may not be able to be with your kid 24/7, local parents advise from experience.
You have got to always call and make sure they’re where they’re supposed to be and make sure somebody responsible is with them" advises Scott Smith, a Lufkin Parent.
A New Jersey community has opted into the “A Child Is Missing Alert Program”, which was created to help quickly spread the word about missing children. The Cape May County Herald explains exactly how the system works:
ACIM uses a three prong program, a telephone data base, GEO mapping system and satellite imagery System.
When a child or elderly person has been reported missing in Lower Township, police will call ACIM and provide pertinent information about the individual such as description, clothes worn and time and location last seen. ACIM Technicians will pull up the location provided with a computerized satellite mapping system.
Then a customized phone alert message is recorded and phoned to the area where the person was last seen. ACIM can place up to 1000 calls in 60 seconds. Call recipients are to call police with any information they have about the missing person. Answering machines will record calls so that residents will receive the alert when they return home. The program is available 24/7, 365 days a year.
Moments after the police department contacts ACIM, the technician punches up an aerial view of the region complete with street names, local landmarks, type of terrain, business listings, types of restaurants, schools, water hazards, parks, bus and train stations. The technician is then able to grasp the distance, scale, and proximity of the last known sighting of the missing person. All of this information can prove invaluable when evaluating a missing child or elderly person’s scenario.
The Child Safety Pilot Program, which allows groups to obtain background checks on volunteers that will be working with children, will be getting an extension in Michigan thanks to Representative Mike Rogers.
“The pre-existing Child Safety Pilot Program stopped criminals with very serious convictions — including sexual abuse of minors, assault and murder — from working with vulnerable children,” said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton. “Extending the pilot will allow organizations to continue to protect children while Congress works on a permanent, nationally-accessible solution.”
Rogers is working with Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., to establish a permanent background check system for youth-serving organizations.
Curious about the hidden dangers in your home for small children? A non profit group in Kansas City is in the process of opening a demonstration house that showcases safety issues that may arise in your home and highlights how to make it a safer space for your family. Called Charlie’s Safe Haven, the group hopes to inform parents about issues they might not think about and save any accidents from happening.
In the Kansas City area, Fenwick [Julie Fenwick, executive director] said the major sources of accidental child injuries and deaths are from falls, burns, poison, hits from other children or running into furniture and walls, and being struck by a motor vehicle. Charlie’s Safe Haven will focus on those five biggest concerns, she said, because those are the main reasons a place like the demonstration house is so important.
Plans are in the works to open the first safety house through grants with Children’s Mercy Family Health Partners.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading cause in injury of children under the age of 1 is a fall. Because the child develops so rapidly in this stage of their lives, their quickly increasing motor skills can lead to different injury risks.
Half of the estimated 328,500 infants 12 months of age or younger who were treated for injuries in hospital emergency departments each year from 2001 to 2004 were injured as a result of a fall, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The first national estimate of infant injury by month of age was published in the May 2008 American Academy of Pediatrics journal, Pediatrics.
Researching your child’s motor abilities corresponding to their age and being prepared for them is the best prevention against falls and other infant injuries.