A new tool called The Body Safety Box is helping parents and educators teach children important information on the danger of sexual abuse. The program was developed by Dr. Missy Gryder, the President of H.E.L.P.S. project, an organization that teams up with elementary schools to bring sexual abuse prevention education to children in Kindergarten through 5th Grade.
The box contains activities for teachers to use in the classroom and for parents to use at home. It helps parents know what to say to their children in a kid friendly way. There is The Body Safety Box for 5-8 year olds and one for 9-12 year olds, each with age appropriate material and activities.
Dr. Gryder also works with the Phoenix Children’s Hospital, who uses Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children child sexual abuse prevention training program for adults. Check out a recent story featuring these programs.
As a SOC facilitator and Prevention Coordinator at our Children’s Advocacy Center, I actually bought one of these kits after stumbling across it during a Google search. I was very impressed and now suggest it as a resource during my presentations. In this business, I think we always need to be aware of what resources are out there and what’s being utilized in other parts of the country. You find what is successful and incorporate those ideas and strategies into your programs. We can never have too many tools to help parents and children in our communities. Thanks Dr. Missy for a great product!!