In California, the last few weeks have been very emotional for many people, especially parents, with the kidnapping of eight-year-old Sandra Cantu, which ended in tragedy. Shockingly, the suspect arrested in the Tracy kidnapping was the mother of a five-year-old child, a teacher, and the granddaughter of a minister. Sandra had spent time at her house often over the last few months.

Download a free one-page Kidpower Safety For Kids On The Way To School Checklist about how to prepare kids and assess to ensure they are ready to make safe choices and get help while on their way to and from school, or anywhere else that they are allowed to go on their own. We don’t know what happened to Sierra LaMar, a 15-year-old, who disappeared March 16 and is still missing, but it’s hard not to fear the worst and to WISH that she had known these skills to stay safe.

Terrorist attacks like the tragic events of September 11th are a shocking reminder that we are vulnerable, that the physical security of ourselves and those we care about is not guaranteed, and that our world can change in an instant. For many of us, a terrorist attack, like child abuse, feels more personally horrifying than [...]

“Stranger danger” wording and other scary or negative images are often used by the media when they present stories about violence, particularly violence against children. Headlines are far more likely to say “GIRL ATTACKED!” than “GIRL PROTECTS HERSELF FROM ATTACKER!” We are more likely to read, ”ATTEMPTED ABDUCTION!” instead of “CHILD STOPS ABDUCTION!”  This emphasis [...]