No dog days allowed.
Child Assault Prevention (CAP) Program Returns to MSD
Posted on January 14, 2013
We are pleased to welcome back Front Range Center for Assault Prevention to our school campus in January for Child Assault Prevention (CAP) workshops with our Staff, parents, and students. Every three years CAP works with our students to educate them for the prevention of child abuse, assault, and neglect. The CAP mission statement says in part: “Children are entitled to the same personal safety, as are adults. We know, however, that unless adults recognize and respect those rights, children will continue to be victims of abuse and neglect. By reducing their vulnerability, we provide a safer environment for them to experience optimum growth and healthy emotional development. Far too often, children are not introduced to prevention education until after an incident has occurred. It is crucial that children, adolescents and the adults in their lives receive assault prevention education in order to reduce their vulnerability to bully assault, stranger abduction and sexual assault. Children and adolescents are vulnerable to assault, but they are not powerless. If empowered through prevention education and advocacy, they do not have to become a statistic.”
The CAP program is developmentally appropriate for the various program levels at our school with the exception of the Toddlers. For Primary ages, the program covers the three most common types of assault children may experience: bully assault, stranger abduction and sexual assault by a known person. Through a series of role-playing and guided group discussion the children learn about their rights to be Safe, Strong, and Free and provides them with practical strategies for preserving those rights. For the elementary age students, the CAP staff teaches children practical strategies for dealing with unsafe situations involving bullying, stranger abduction, and unsafe kisses and touches. Through role-playing and guided group discussion, children learn to use the skills and strategies of self-assertion, peer support and to enlist the help of a “trusted adult” when they feel their personal safety is being violated. Children leave the workshop feeling empowered and more capable of handling situations in their own lives and feel more confident in helping others as well.
The program kicked off with a Parent Education evening. Parents gained a better understanding of the CAP program and what they can do to help keep their child safe and strong. The Parent Education evening, along with a MSD Staff in-service, were done prior to the work with the children in the classrooms. Additional information can be found on their website: www.FrontRangeCAP.org.
