Child ID Program: Protecting Children in our Communities
By Keith Reed
Parents, guardians and adults who care for children face constant challenges when trying to help keep children safer in today's fast-paced world. A total of 800,000 children in America are reported missing each year, or 2,000 every day, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.[1]
If the worst should happen, and your child went missing, would you know what to do? Would you have the tools to instantly provide vital information to law enforcement?
Child ID programs can provide families with child identification materials that may prove critical should an emergency occur. Some companies, such as New York Life, combine child ID programs with safety and protection festivals, turning the process into a fun, non-threatening and family-friendly event.
These day-long events can include volunteers from community fire and police departments, local business and community groups. While there, children are fingerprinted and photographed and ID cards are given to the parents. Children and parents may also learn safety lessons on how to be safer in the home, at play, or wherever they happen to be in the community.
For more information about an upcoming Child Safety & Protection Festival in your community, please contact your local police or fire department or your local New York Life agent.
Keith Reed
[1]National Center for Missing & Exploited Children 2008 Annual Report. www.missingkids.com, 2009.
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