Go back to school, bring a buddy

The Canadian Centre for Child Protection urges parents and educators remind children to use the Buddy System, provides Grade One Teacher Kits for free.
As the end of summer approaches and families get ready to return to their back-to-school routine, parents are urged to talk to their kids about personal safety strategies to help keep them safe when away from home, not the least of which is the "Buddy System."

Those new to the whole "school" thing, Grade 1 kids in particular, can find some useful tools provided by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection in partnership with Honeywell Hometown Solutions. Noting that children who go places alone are at greater risk of victimization, the Buddy System is one of the most obvious if not most important safety strategies a parent can teach their kids. Whether a child is walking to and from school, heading to the park after school to play with friends or participating in extra-curricular activities, they should always be with a buddy, a practice made interactive in a little flash-based, point & click game/activity site seen at www.billybuddy.ca.

Aimed at first grade students, the site also provides information for parents and educators on the Billy program and other age-appropriate safety strategies.

"There is safety in numbers," said Lianna McDonald, Executive Director for the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. "Children should know that when going to and from places, even those that are familiar to them, they should do so with a friend or a safe adult."

The Canadian Centre for Child Protection also suggests educators reinforce this important safety lesson with their students. In partnership with Honeywell, the Canadian Centre will be providing nearly 11,000 Billy Brings his Buddies Grade One Teacher Kits free-of-charge to Canadian schools in October.

This will mark the fifth consecutive year the kits have been distributed. Since 2006, more than 44,000 kits have been provided to Grade One teachers across Canada.