Think it's bad how many young kids have cell phones these days? Think again. A pre-programmed cell phone is just one of 10 ways you can help keep your child safe at school.

I've got four kids, three of which are grown and out of the house. I helped keep them safe at school growing up, but in light of last Friday's Washington State school shooting and having one kiddo left going to middle school here in the Hub City, it's a good refresher to look at the obvious (and some not so obvious) ways to help insure their safety when they are away from mom and dad.

A few of the tips I found interesting on Momtastic include:

  • Avoid labeling your child’s clothing, backpack or jackets with his name where it is visible. You don’t want a stranger to be able to call out your child by name, so be sure his name isn’t anywhere visible on his clothing or school bag.
This is something my wife and I did often as our kids had a tendency to leave stuff like hoodies and backpacks at school- we never considered the a stranger being able to call our children out by name, but it makes sense!
  • Consider providing your child with a preprogrammed cell phone. There are several cell phones on the market that allow a set number of contacts to be programmed into the phone. Consider giving your child a phone so that he can reach you should the need arise.
I battled with my wife for months until finally caving in on the idea of giving my elementary school student a cell phone- the tip above won the argument.
Check out the rest of the tips below.

[Source: momtastic]

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