PROTECT YOUR CHILD - GENERAL TIPS

General Tips:

• Teach your child to memorize their full name, address and phone number, including area code, state and zip code.
• Have your child walk and play in groups: Practice the "Buddy System" and let them know that there is safety in numbers
• Maintain current addresses and phone numbers of your children's friends
• Teach your child how to use the telephone, how to make calls to the operator and how to dial emergency numbers.
• Children should know how to use a pay phone without money to call home or 911
• Be a role model to your children. Settle arguments with words, not violence
• Give them "training" about firearms. Let your child know that if they see a gun, they should not touch it, they should leave the area immediately and tell an adult. This is critical for even very young children to understand, since they might come across a firearm in the home of a friend
• Parents need to teach their children to yell NO and continue to yell. There is a fine line between being polite and respectful to an adult and knowing when to back away and say no to unwanted attention or touch. It is the child's body and they should have the right to say who can and can't touch them. By teaching this to them in a known, controlled environment, they will have a better chance of doing the same in the unknown
• If your child is a latch-key kid, make sure that he or she knows to keep all doors and windows locked. Make sure your child never lets anyone know that he or she is alone, and to never let anyone in the house, not even someone claiming to be a police officer or from the fire department. Those kinds of professionals know to forcibly enter in case of an emergency.
• By promoting your child's self-esteem and letting them know that you love them for who they are, you will teach them the self-confidence they need to avoid drugs and crime

Teach your children what the 911 emergency system is and how they should use it in an emergency.

Points to review with children are:

• Tell the operator what the emergency is.
• Give your full address, phone number and name.
• Emergency medical, fire or police personnel are being sent to you even though you are still talking to the operator.
• Stay on the line with the 911 operator until they tell you to hang up.
• The 911 service is for emergencies. It is important to teach your child not to play with or misuse 911.

Keep these records:

1. Color photographs: Take new photographs every six months for younger children and yearly for older children. Video recordings are extremely effective for identifying a child.
   
2. Height and weight measurements: at least every six months for small children and yearly for older children.
   
3. Physical Descriptions including hair and eye color, descriptions of any scars or moles, pierced ears or any other unique features, glasses or braces.
   
4. Up-to-date medical and dental records (including X-rays). Know where they are kept and how to get them quickly
5. Fingerprints done by a qualified person.
   
6. Samples of your child's hair. The hair needs to include the root, and you want to collect at least 50 to 100 strands. Try collecting them using a clean hairbrush, that hasn't been used on anyone else. Wrap the hair sample in paper

Child Fingerprint Cards

The Police Department will fingerprint anyone who may need "fingerprint cards" for registration, employment, bonding, child safety, etc. The cost is $5 for two cards. The Police Department uses the California Department of Justice standardized form, "BID-7." Stop by any of the area stations at the designated time and day:

To order a child identification packet: www.klaaskids.org
Call Ident-A-Kid at 760-489-9530: they provide I.D. services at local schools.

Do-it-yourself DNA sampling kit:
DNA analysis is fast becoming the "genetic fingerprint" of the new millennium. In its most simple terms, DNA is the fundamental building block that defines us as individuals. Every cell of every living entity contains DNA that is unique to that animal or plant.

Materials:

• One cotton swab
• Two zip-lock plastic baggies

Procedure:

• Rub a clean (sterile if possible) cotton swab* on inside of cheek until moist.
• Let cotton swab air dry for 24 hours.
• When dry, place cotton swab in a zip-lock bag and seal bag.
• Label with permanent pen - child's name and sample date.
• Save in freezer until needed.
• Follow the same procedure for blood sample. Wait until your child gets a scrape or cut
• You may also save baby teeth in same manner.
• You can also use sterile gauze or a clean piece of filter paper.

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