Street Proofing Tips
What’s street proofing all about? It’s about helping children identify and react to situations that are uncomfortable, unwelcome or even dangerous. Street proofing skills help students become more aware of their surroundings and those in it. They also help to build confidence and independence as students spend more time away from their parents.
Schools, parents and guardians can help make personal safety second nature to a student’s daily activities. We can’t follow our children around everywhere, but we can teach them to trust their own instincts and “keep their radar up.”
In an age-appropriate way, students should learn the following:
- Their name, age, telephone number and address
- A secret family password to identify when someone different will pick them up
- How to reach a parent, guardian or family contact in an emergency
- How to contact police, fire and ambulance personnel
- To let a parent or other responsible adult know where they will be at all times
- Never to say they are alone if they answer the phone
- Never to invite strangers into their home
- Not to enter anyone’s home without a parent/guardian’s permission
- Not to accept gifts from strangers
- To say “no” to an adult, especially if that person wants them to do something they have been taught is wrong
- That no one has the right to touch any part of his or her body that a bathing suit would cover. The exceptions may be people who are trying to keep them clean (assistance in the washroom) or healthy (doctors or nurses)
- To tell a parent or guardian if someone has asked them to keep a secret
- Never to play in deserted buildings or isolated areas
- Never to take shortcuts through empty parks or fields
- Never to approach or enter a stranger’s car
- Never to hitchhike
About the Block Parent Program and Logo
- That adults should not be asking children or young people for help.
- A common technique to lure youngsters is to pretend to be searching for a lost puppy or kitten
- That if they become separated from parents at a store or in a mall, they should go to a cashier, security guard or counter clerk
- That if they are being followed, they should run home, or go to the nearest public place and yell for help
- To report to a parent, school authority or police officer anyone who exposes private parts
- That police officers are their friends and that they can rely on them if they are in trouble
- That if someone does something bad to them, parents/guardians will not be angry with them, but will need to know what happened.