It’s that time of year again –sChOoL’S OuT!!! “Yaaaay,” the children exclaim! “Noooo,” the parents moan. This time of year working parents are preparing for the summer care of their children and are asking questions like, “Who will watch my children? How much will it cost? What are the hours?”

Given the current child abuse statistics, we need to add one more vital question to the list, “What is my plan to protect my children from sexual abuse?”

An alarming one out of every 5 adult women and one out of every 10 adult men say they were molested as children. Abuse can be verbal, physical and spiritual. If we can recognize potentially risky behavior we can intervene before a child is abused.

Key Warning Signs of a Perpetrator:

He/she can be an adult or older child/teen;

Insists on hugging, touching, kissing, tickling, and wrestling;

Spends time alone with a child;

Bends the rules;

Spends most of his/her time with children rather than someone their own age;

Encourages a child to keep secrets;

Regularly offers to baby sit or take children on overnight outings;

Buy a child gifts or gives money for no reason; and

May text or send pictures via cell phone.

Protect Your Child:

Be sure your child is never alone or in a place he/she cannot be heard. Childcare facilities should not be using areas that have locked doors. If possible utilize a facility that has a screening process, performs reference and background checks, fingerprinting, sign in and out policies, or request a one-on-one meeting with individuals. Be sure you are able to “pop-in” at any time during the day.

Tips For Parents:

Talk, listen, observe, and take action;

Believe what your children tell you;

Let them talk a lot;

Be alert to changes in their behavior;

Communicate your safety concerns to your children;

Make sure they know they can come to you with any concerns; and

Coach your children to feel comfortable in saying, “Stop. You’re making me uncomfortable!”

If you or your child get a bad feeling in your “gut” about a particular individual, pay attention to these feelings and communicate your concerns to individuals who are in a position to help.

Signs Of Abused Children:

Grades that suffer;

Bad hygiene;

Always watchful;

Runs away; and

Aggression.

If you feel that a child is being or has been abused, call the child abuse hotline: Los Angeles County (800) 540-4000. If you suspect a child or teen is being stalked by an online child molester or is being sent threatening messages or pornography: Call (800) 843-5678.

You can prevent abuse and protect children by forming a clear plan. Knowing the signs can save a child from a lifetime of pain. Although the ultimate responsibility to protect children lies with their parents, we all can take part in protecting these precious helpless toddlers to adolescents from offenders who prey on the young.