Celebrate Safety - Teacher Program Guide

Written by Debbie Mahoney

Handbook for Celebrate Safety child abuse prevention program. Teach children about trusted adults, good and bad touches, and stranger dangers.

DAY 1

Diagnostic for Celebrate Safety -- (located in back of manual)

Suggested Seating: Choose what works best with your group when watching a video.

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Create suspense with gift wrapped box. Tell the children that you have a very special gift in the box and that they each have a gift just like yours. Show the children pictures of other children with their trusted adults (i.e., parents, grandparents, or teachers). Emphasize that the children know and truly feel that the trusted adults love them and want them to be very safe and happy. Emphasize that a trusted adult loves the child no matter what happens. If you are sharing pictures of your own trusted adult, relate a story from your own childhood when you were hesitant about confiding in a trusted adult, but did and felt much better. If you were abused, do not relate your story. Our emphasis is on the children in the classroom. Say something like, "Now we are going to watch a video about a little girl who needed her trusted adults to help her be safe and happy after sad and scary things happened to her."

Show The Story of The Little Child. Follow along with the enclosed script to guide you during pauses. Discuss the film using the enclosed discussion questions.

Have children draw pictures of their trusted adults. Encourage the children to draw at least three trusted adults.

This would be a great time for an unstructured break. If snack time, recess, or simply a bathroom break is not convenient, say something like "Our bodies are wonderful, they belong to us, so let's give our brains a rest and our bodies a chance to stretch and move." Take the children for a quick walk or run around the field.

Suggested Seating: Have children gathered around on the floor as for story time, if this works with your group.

Trusted Adults / Good Touches:

Open the gift wrapped box and explain that is your trusted adult. Ask children if they remember the puppet show they saw earlier called "The Story of The Little Child." Have volunteers remind the group who The Little Child's trusted adults were. Have each of the children share the picture of their trusted adults.

Stress that a trusted adult is someone you don't have to worry about telling anything to. You never need to keep secrets from a trusted adult except maybe happy ones. Choose a trusted adult from your pictures and tell the children that today is that person's birthday.

Ask the children to tell you what kind of secrets one might be keeping from this adult. Brainstorm. Once you have a list of possible secrets, ask the children how long these secrets will last and if anyone feels bad if they are in on the secrets. Elicit and emphasize that the secrets last only for a few days at most and no one is hurt by keeping them. Label the brainstormed list "Happy Secrets." Tell the children, "We will be talking more about secrets tomorrow."

Show the children a magazine picture of a baby. Brainstorm five things that a baby needs from adults. Elicit love or a positive touch (i.e., hugs, kisses, cuddling, rocking). Point out that babies need all of these things and more to feel safe and cared for. Emphasize that all children deserve to feel safe and parents and teachers and other trusted adults are responsible for helping them to feel safe and cared for.

Day 2

Suggested Seating: Have children at desks or tables. If not, make sure they are on the rug each in their own space.

Good Touches / Uncomfortable Touches:

Show the children the picture of the baby. Remind them of their previously brainstormed list of things all babies need. Ask the children, "Who gives babies what they need?" Elicit trusted adults. Return to the elicited response of positive touch. Brainstorm more good touches. Tell them that "Good touches make you feel safe and cared for and happy. No one keeps these touches secret."

Tell children that sometimes what is a good touch for one may make another child feel uncomfortable. Say, "If an adult or big kid gives you a hug and you don't like it or maybe just don't feel like it that day, you have every right to tell them you feel uncomfortable and they should stop." Tell the children not to worry about hurting the adult's feelings. The adult is the grown-up and should put the child's feelings first. Emphasize that this type of touch is not bad, just uncomfortable.

Have a child volunteer to come to the front of the room. Tell them to practice this response to the unwelcome, uncomfortable touch. Hug the child and have them respond, "(Your Name), that makes me uncomfortable, please stop." Praise the child and have him or her choose another child to repeat the role play with you. Remind the children to have good posture and look you in the eye when they express their feelings.

*Be prepared and ready to validate their feelings if they try this response out on you during the next few days.