The Monique Burr Foundation for Children recently launched MBF Summer Safety Matters, a program aimed at protecting children and teens by providing educational resources to help prevent increased risks of abuse and victimization during summer months.
Designed to make learning fun and encourage kids to participate, the program includes an online portal with five summer safety lessons and interactive quizzes parents can take with their kids to earn prizes, including two family four-packs of tickets to Legoland and a pair of tickets to The Coca-Cola Orlando Eye.
“Kids face many new risks during summer months,” MBF Program Director Stacy Pendarvis said. “Being out of school and with new adults in new places like camps, pools, summer programs and at friends’ houses opens them up to a whole host of new potential dangers.”
And with kids spending more time unsupervised during the summer, Pendarvis added, they need to be aware of the different types of “digital dangers” found on the Internet and through apps, gaming sites, social media and virtual reality sites.
The summer safety lessons include a review of the MBF Child Safety Matters™ 5 Safety Rules, which are taught in elementary schools in nearly all Florida counties and will launch in Florida public middle schools in early fall. This curriculum is required in public schools in Orange and Duval counties. The 5 Safety Rules help children and teens identify and respond appropriately to any unsafe situation.
The new summer safety lessons also include tips for children to identify and talk to safe adults, what parents need to know when their children spend time in new places, what precautions to take when children are around unfamiliar faces, and important steps to minimize exposure to online dangers while kids have increased access to screen time on their digital devices. Parents and kids can visit www.MBFSummerSafetyMatters.org to access all of the summer safety lessons and quizzes.
“Our MBF Child Safety Matters program, recommended by national experts and Erin Merryn, founder of Erin’s Law, has reached more than 1 million children throughout Florida this year alone,” said Ed Burr, founder and chairman of the Monique Burr Foundation, who noted that the nonprofit’s reach continues to grow. “Over the past 12 months, the foundation has begun pilot programs in Ohio, Alabama and Minneapolis. We’re proud to launch the MBF Summer Safety Matters program as a continuation of this vital work, protecting as many children as we can by reaching parents and kids at home this summer while school is out.”
