Curriculum Overview:

The internet is one of the single biggest factors affecting our children and their safety in society today. We need to understand why and what affect it has on students learning and beyond. Teen Internet usage and attitudes about safety present potential risks, but also opportunities for education. Internet safety includes risky behaviors such as sharing too much information online, sexting, cyberbullying, dangerous internet sites and apps, all contribute to the harm and exploitation of children.

These risky behaviors can be a common link leading to a global issue frequently referred to as Human Trafficking/Sex Trafficking. We need to understand how schools are impacted, why it is critically important for those in educational environments to be involved in the process, and to understand exactly what trafficking looks like amongst students today. Our safety and prevention education curriculum is taught to children in the school system, providing real world safety, internet safety skills, and abduction prevention education.

In March 2020 the world was hit by the COVID 19 pandemic, and our education system was greatly impacted as schools revamped to virtual learning. To date we have provided education to more than 1,000,000,000 children, families, and teachers in Arkansas schools. Terminating onsite learning impacted the message we know children so desperately need at this time.

Understanding kids would be online even more while spending time at home doing virtual learning, the Morgan Nick Foundation immediately switched gears in search of new ways to get these safety messages to students. We hired additional educators and began the process of constructing a new curriculum from the discipline we already use to educate. This curriculum will support Arkansas Educators, caregivers, parents, and students. Our presentations use the latest technology to create high-impact educational activities for even the most tech-savvy kids in all age group. The goal remains the same, to expand safety awareness of children and empower them to make responsible decisions online and in real life. Guardian was created because the Morgan Nick Foundation understands education is the key to safety. When children recognize the dangers, they can make good choices. This curriculum is written to bring the light of truth into a sometimes dangerous and scary world.

This curriculum is a culmination of materials connected in fun and unique ways to cover everything from internet safety and tracking digital footprints, to recognizing and understanding why people alter photos and writings. It is versatile and can be taught in individual lessons or as support to content already being taught in the classroom. The lessons include cross-curricular connections that have the flexibility to be adapted, and each lesson aligns with the Arkansas Department of Education’s Guide For Life. We are also working toward linking these lessons to meet the Arkansas Department of Education standards in core subjects.

We know educators are the first line of defense for students. You carry such an important role in our students lives as far as recognizing patterns of concern or red flags, but we also realize you are challenged with many additional tasks. Our goal is not to add something more but to lighten your load by providing you with everything you need at your fingertips for a quick and simple lesson that checks multiple boxes for you, and provides the critical safety education we know children need.