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What Parents Need to Know About Child Safety and Identification

 by: Scott Irwin

There seems to be a general misconception concerning child safety and child identification. In speaking with parents, one thing becomes very clear. Parents commonly believe, that by recording their children’s fingerprints and DNA information, they have taken all the steps necessary in order to protect as well as provide identification for their children.

Unfortunately, this could not be further from the truth. Common sense dictates that the only time a child’s fingerprints or DNA information would ever become necessary would be in the worst-case scenario, after the unthinkable has happened.

We as parents would like to watch over our children 24-hours a day, thereby, ensuring our children’s safety. However, this is unrealistic.

In situations where young children get separated from their parents as well as natural disasters such as: hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and tsunamis, we are reminded time and again, that children do not carry identification.

A Canadian company seems to have taken a very logical approach towards helping parents protect their children. Their small label can give parents great peace of mind as far as their children are concerned. Jerry Scala founded Child ID Labels inc. in 1995, with the intentions of offering his identification concept to fellow members of his congregation. However, within nine months, the fledgling program gained national exposure with their first recovery.

The company’s first successful recovery happened on Easter Weekend, 1996, outside of Toronto, Canada. While his parents were in the kitchen, a small three year-old boy let himself out and wandered three blocks before ending up in a convenience store. The store’s clerk noticed the identification label on the outside of the back collar and contacted the toll free number on the id label. The authorities, with Child ID's help, had the young escapee in his parent’s arms in less than eight minutes.

Child ID’s program helps parents deal with everyday events that happen, not out of neglect, but are due to situations that are beyond our control. Unlike other programs that are passive in nature and wait for something to happen before they spring into action, This company’s unique focus and approach towards child safety and identification is proactive as well as preventative, thereby, offering parents an unparalleled amount of peace of mind.

In today’s world, identity theft is not at all uncommon and, therefore, a very real concern.

Each Child ID “kit” is assigned a unique, personal identification number (PIN) code, which is specific to each family.

The company supplies parents with an unlimited supply of the coded iron-on identification labels and coded weatherproof stickers, which can be placed on literally anything that leaves the home as well as key rings, which list the family's unique pin code, which can be used for school bags, sports bags, luggage etc.

The id labels and coded stickers protect the families privacy as they contain only the company name, a message that reads "If Found Call", a toll free number as well as the PIN code; this ensures the prompt and accurate identification of a child after a 1-800 number is called.

If anyone locates a lost child who is wearing the identification labels, a phone call is all it takes to identify the child and contact the parents.

Child ID Labels Inc.’s concept focuses on the fact that “Children do not carry id, if they did they would likely loose it. We as adults never leave home without our id, frightening but true; there is more identification on the neighborhood dogs than on our children.

For pre-teens, the elderly who suffer from Alzheimer’s as well as the intellectually challenged, the company also offers their version of a “no name” label, which simply reads in bold letters “If Found Call” and the same toll free number as well as the family’s PIN code. When called, the 1-800 number links the caller to a monitoring service, which is staffed twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

The company’s database contains the PIN codes assigned to families so there is no danger of anyone identifying the child except Child ID. One of the many advantages to this labelling system, is the labels can be as visible or invisible as the parents feel necessary.

The company recommends that for individuals who might be considered high flight risk, such as Autistic children or sufferers of Alzheimer’s, the label should be placed in plain view. In one case the company has recovered a 21 year-old autistic man twice.

This program seems to have taken everything into account. For those parents who believe that prevention far outweighs the cure, it’s nice to know that there is a company working to protect and keep our children safe.

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