Safer, Smarter Kids program rolled out

VW independent staff and submitted information

Over the past several months, the YWCA of Van Wert County has partnered with kindergarten classes at Van Wert Early Childhood Center and Crestview Early Childhood Center to bring students an abuse prevention and personal safety program called Safer, Smarter Kids.

This kindergarten curriculum was created by classroom educators, developmental psychologists and experts in abuse prevention to teach personal safety from a place of fun without being explicit or scary in any way. This curriculum ties into Ohio’s K-12 social and emotional learning standards as well as the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program.

Safer, Smarter Kids arms children with protective principles and the knowledge needed to identify and avoid unsafe situations, people and behaviors, and how to access help if needed. The curriculum is taught once per weeks for six weeks, in 30-minute lessons by YWCA Director of Youth Development, Betsy Hamman, with the classroom teacher in attendance.

Lessons incorporate conversations and activities to teach the following topics:

• safety rules
• identifying grown up buddies and creating a trusted triangle
• using brave talk
• identifying safe vs. unsafe touches
• identifying safe vs. unsafe secrets
• tattling vs reporting

A parent of a Crestview ECC student lauded the program.

“My son is in kindergarten at Crestview ECC and he has been participating in the program,” the parent said. “It has provided him with valuable knowledge and confidence to speak up for himself and others and given us important discussion points for situations to review as a family.”

In March, Hamman spoke at the Van Wert City Board of Education meeting and presented on the curriculum. Two kindergarten students and VWECC kindergarten teacher Shelly Place accompanied Hamman and shared their thoughts and experiences with the program.
Van Wert Early Childhood Center Lori Bittner has been happy with this partnership.

“The VWECC was honored to join the YWCA with this venture. The children really took to learning the concepts about personal safety issues in the home and in other circumstances when presented,” Bittner stated. “Lessons were children centered and as an administrator, I was pleased with how the lessons were shared with parents each week. It is an opportunity we hope to continue with the YWCA in the future.”

For more information on Safer, Smarter Kids please visit www.ywcavanwert.org.

The YWCA is partially funded by the Van Wert County Foundation and is a United Way Agency.