Safety Kid Helps Children Protect Themselves

The duties of constructing a secure environment for children go further than the vigilant watch and care of parents. Children themselves must be taught how to recognize what may be a risky situation and to be able to contact a responsible adult to help them.

Aleinu’s child safety program, Safety Kid, allows children to ask questions and interactively participate in lessons. Especially enjoyed is a video catered to their Orthodox cultural needs and focused on demonstrating how to conduct themselves during uncomfortable situations. The program, developed in response to troubling incidents of sexual abuse in the Orthodox Jewish community a few years back and in collaboration with the rabbis in the Aleinu halachic advisory board, has reached more than 2,000 children in the Los Angeles area. The materials also include training for educators and parents as well, creating an all-inclusive education plan that leads to sharing and discussion between adults and children.

The schools receive this program without cost, thanks to the generous donation from Mitch and Joleen Julis. Safety Kid has been an indispensable addition to safety education in Orthodox schools, helping increase awareness among all those concerned for the security of the children.