Here in the PNW, we take safety seriously.  My family loves rock climbing and there's a lot that goes into keeping us all safe while enjoying this sport.  In our community, many of us enjoy biking, snowboarding or skiing, and use helmets and make other smart decisions to decrease the chance of injury when we are recreating.   Seatbelts, smoke, and carbon monoxide detectors are other everyday examples.

We spend time teaching our children how to cross streets safely and to not play with fire or guns.  It makes sense to teach our kids how to be safe and avoid injury. 

Another aspect of personal safety is the "Protect Yourself Rules" which teach children that no one has the right to physically hurt them or touch private parts of their body.   We know that abuse is a problem way too many children in our community face.  The majority of perpetrators are not strangers.  So, while "stranger danger" is still important to teach it doesn't really help prevent abuse.   Sadly, the majority of abuse perpetrators are someone the child knows.  This makes it all the more difficult for children to know how to say "No" or what to do to stop the unwanted touch.  The "Protect Yourself Rules" videos do a nice job of providing children with a developmentally appropriate understanding of the concerns and what to do.   You can access the very brief videos below, most of which I will use as part of a mini-lesson in your child's class to introduce the "Protect Yourself Rules".  *If you have questions please don't hesitate to contact me. 

SHB 1539 (Erin’s Law), passed by the WA legislature in 2018, addresses child sexual abuse prevention in Washington state schools.  "Protect Yourself Rules" is a curriculum to help cover this important information. 

Tips for talking with your child about safety & abuse prevention.    Ages 6-8     Ages9-10