HAPPY BEAR INFORMATION

Kindergarten and 1st Grade Families: 

On Tuesday, September 8th the kindergarten and 1st grade classes will welcome a special visitor to our school, “Happy Bear.”  Happy Bear is the main character in an entertaining, interactive 25-minute play.  During the performance, students will teach Happy Bear about a very important type of safety - personal safety.   

P.S. Happy Bear is part of the P.S. It’s My Body! program from Sunflower House, a child abuse prevention center that serves Wyandotte and Johnson Counties.  Sunflower House has performed the P.S. Happy Bear play for more than twenty years in area elementary schools and preschools.  P.S. Happy Bear currently is presented in all Olathe Elementary Schools.  A trained Sunflower House staff member will present the program, which will discuss recognizing welcome and unwelcome touches, recognizing “private parts,” using resistance skills (say “No,” move away), and identifying trusted adults to tell about inappropriate touches.  The play incorporates humor and audience participation to allow children to teach Happy Bear about personal safety. 

Statistics tell us that approximately one in four girls and one in six boys will be the victim of sexual abuse before their 18th birthday, and that one-third of sexual abuse victims are age six or younger.  Research demonstrates that by teaching children about personal safety, they are more likely to tell an adult about an inappropriate touch. Happy Bear will discuss these important messages with your student in a fun, informative format.   

By talking with our kids about these important safety issues, we will create a safer community for all children. If you have further questions about our Happy Bear program, please refer to the Sunflower House website at https://sunflowerhouse.org/.

Click the menu, select the Children’s Education Programs tab, and scroll down to Happy Bear Personal Safety Lessons.  

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any more questions as I understand the sensitivity of this important topic.