By: Florida Senator Lauren Book, M.S. Ed.

Founder & CEO, Lauren’s Kids

As a former kindergarten teacher, I know how hectic the beginning of a new school year is for educators. Counselors, teachers, and administrators work tirelessly to keep our children safe, healthy and thriving, and your efforts should be applauded.

As one of the 42 million survivors of child sexual abuse living in the United States today, I also know that protecting the children in our lives from predators is absolutely critical – and educators are often the first line of defense. Statistics show one in three girls and one in five boys will be sexually abused before they turn 18. And, 90 percent of abuse cases are committed by someone the child, and his or her family knows and trusts. But, there is hope, and together we can safeguard our kids.

Armed with the knowledge that 95 percent of child sexual abuse is preventable through education and awareness, I founded Lauren’s Kids to ensure children, families, educators and community leaders have the tools necessary to stay safe, as well as provide hope and healing to survivors. One of those tools is our Safer, Smarter Schools program – the country’s first Pre-Kindergarten through grade 12 school-based prevention and personal safety curriculum series.

Education and Awareness

Safer, Smarter Schools is a K-12 curriculum I developed along with a multidisciplinary team of educators and developmental psychologists to teach children critical personal safety information in a developmentally and age-appropriate way. Our curriculum is evidence-based, pedagogically sound, and engages students, and parents, in safety education. And, we also have a curriculum specifically designed for students with disabilities to ensure all children, no matter their need, can receive a developmentally appropriate abuse prevention education.

Children who receive school-based education about child sexual abuse prevention are 3.5 times more likely to report if they had been/were being abused, compared to children who did not receive that education. Our goal is to teach elementary, middle and high school students about personal safety from a place of fun, not fear.

So, how do we do that? Let’s start with our preschool through fifth-grade curriculum…

Safer, Smarter Kids

Safer, Smarter Kids focuses on pre-school through fifth grade. The curriculum sequence was designed to advance each grade level, so students can continue to build on what they have learned previously. Review lessons are built in to ensure any child – no matter if they’ve received the previous year’s curriculum – can jump right into safety learning. Lessons ultimately teach children that their bodies are their own, they have the power to say “no” to anything that makes them uncomfortable, and that no one should ever ask a child to keep an unsafe secret.

Here are some of the topics students will learn about through cartoon videos, fun activities, and visual posters:

• Safety awareness
• Developing self-esteem
• Body boundaries
• Cyber safety
• Safe vs. unsafe secrets and safe vs. unsafe touches
• Accessing help

Caption: one of my favorite activities for younger kids is our Trusted Triangle worksheet

Safer, Smarter Teens

For those who work in a middle or high school setting, our Safer, Smarter Teens program focuses on empowering teens to use their voices to speak up for themselves and others, while learning how to deal with everything from peer pressure and dating violence to power dynamics and communication strategies. I share my personal story about the abuse I endured for six years at the hands of a trusted caretaker, and how I overcame my feelings of shame and fear to get help and begin healing.

Students in grades 6-8 follow our Personal Power curriculum sequence, including lessons on:

• How to recognize danger
• Grooming tactics and setting boundaries
• Reducing risk online and in daily life
• How to A.C.T. – abuse, disclosure and getting help
• Peer pressure

Meanwhile, high school students learn to Be the Change in their communities, ultimately teaching teenagers what to do in an unsafe situation, who to turn to for help and how to help a friend in need. Some topics of focus include:

• Dating violence
• How to help a friend in need
• Balance of power
• Healthy vs. unhealthy relationships
• Communication styles

Caption: Students can put our “Think, Feel, Act” lesson into practice with this worksheet

What’s Included

Each curriculum set contains five to eight 30-minute lessons aligned with education standards for easy integration into the classroom.

The kit includes a teacher’s guide and parent letters in English, Spanish and Creole, poster and stickers, videos, homework sheets, activities and more (20 copies of each for grades 3 and below, and 24 copies for grades 4 and above). Our lessons even tie in a few science, math and social studies topics!

Caption: Our 12 different curriculums are packaged into kits containing everything you need to teach these lessons

Why Safer, Smarter Schools?

My abuse began when I was 11 and lasted until I was 16. While we may not have been able to prevent this first violation, I know that if I had something like the Safer, Smarter Schools curriculum, I would have been able to find my voice and speak up much, much sooner.

I want every child to know that they have the right to feel safe and secure, and if someone ever makes them feel confused, scared or not quite right, it is okay to tell.

Our program is regarded as one of the highest quality in the nation and is currently being used in more than 65,000 classrooms in Florida and beyond. Most importantly, since implementation, effectiveness testing shows a 77 percent learning gain in children’s knowledge of personal safety information after completing the program.

Learn More

The Safer, Smarter Schools curriculum is free for all Florida public schools, thanks to funding from the state legislature. The curriculum is also available to purchase for $300 per grade level at www.shop.laurenskids.org.

You can view the scope and sequence of each grade level here.

To learn more, visit www.safersmarterschools.org or www.laurenskids.org.  

Senator Lauren Book, M.S. Ed, is an internationally respected and renowned child advocate, former classroom teacher and best-selling author. She represents the Broward County-based District 32 in the Florida Senate, and serves as the Democratic Leader Pro Tempore. Book is also one of 42 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse living in the U.S. today, and founded Lauren’s Kids, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation, in 2007.