The Curriculum

Focused on enhancing a child’s overall sense of confidence.

Childhelp Speak Up Be Safe is a child-focused, school-based curriculum designed to build safety skills within the child while addressing today’s societal risks, such as bullying and Internet safety. The program focuses on enhancing the child’s overall sense of confidence with regard to safety and promotes respect for self and peers that can be applied to general as well as potentially harmful situations.

The overarching goal with this curriculum is always to provide children with the skills to identify and be able to approach a safe adult should they ever be in a situation in which they are unsure if they are safe.

PreK-2nd Grade

A primary focus at the earliest age groups is to shift the responsibility for child abuse and neglect prevention away from children and onto the adults in their lives. Children learn basic concepts around personal safety and how to identify safe adults.

3rd-5th Grades

Lessons emphasize that adults are responsible for child safety, but by learning and using a few key safety rules, children can help those adults keep them safe. Children learn how to recognize potentially unsafe situations, how to identify safe adults, and how to talk about feeling unsafe.

6th-8th Grades

While adults continue to be responsible for child safety, lessons acknowledge the growing responsibilities and privileges of children in this age group and the new opportunities for potentially unsafe situations. Children learn how to recognize potential risks as well as resistance strategies that can be used until they can talk to a safe adult.

9th-12th Grades

Lessons address the increasing responsibility of adolescents and young adults for their own personal safety in each setting where they may be at risk of experiencing abuse. Students develop a broader understanding of abusive behavior and preventative approaches while also continuing to identify the safe adults and peers supportive of a robust safety network.

What’s Included

Age-Appropriate Lessons

Children and teens participate in interactive, engaging lessons with trained facilitators. Lessons promote broad student participation and critical reflection by engaging students in visual, auditory, and physical learning.

View Our Lesson Preview

Reinforcement Activities

Designed to help children and teens practice and retain the information learned in each lesson, the reinforcement activities may be done in the classroom or taken home to share with parents and caregivers.

View Our Reinforcement Activities

Parent Engagement

Parents and caregivers receive consent forms before each lesson and handouts after each lesson with a review of what their child or teen has learned and tips on how to talk about personal safety and abuse.

View Our Parent Consent Form

View Our Parent Information Sheet

Take Home Materials

After each lesson, children and teens receive take home items to help them remember the safety rules and safety principles they have learned. These items include resources for children and parents should they have additional questions about abuse or need help in an unsafe situation.

View Safety Card Example

Virtual Campus

The online platform at www.speakupbesafe.org includes full curriculum lessons, all supporting materials, facilitator training, and resources for schools, administrators, parents, facilitators, and community stakeholders.

View Virtual Campus

Facilitator Training

Online, on-demand facilitator training modules help prepare designated facilitators to discuss sensitive topics with children and teens, learn how to recognize signs and symptoms of abuse, and learn how to handle and report disclosures of abuse or neglect.

View Our Facilitator and Copyright Agreement

Resources

In the virtual campus, resources are provided for schools and administrators, facilitators and teachers, and parents and caregivers to talk about and understand the epidemic of child abuse, the need for prevention education, and how the Childhelp Speak Up Be Safe curriculum helps protect children from abuse.

View Our Program Fact Sheet

View Our Program Overview

View Our Program FAQs

View Our Child Abuse FAQs

Formative Assessments

Each lesson includes formative assessments to monitor student learning and provide feedback to allow the facilitator to adjust teaching and student learning. Formative Assessments helps the facilitator identify strength, weaknesses and understanding of the vocabulary and concepts.

“ Students were very engaged in the material and wanted to share stories or T.V. shows that they have seen. ”

5th Grade School Nurse, Scottsdale, Arizona

Prevention education is the key to ending child abuse.

Research-Based, Evidence Informed

The content and delivery of all Childhelp Speak Up Be Safe lessons is based on best practices from research in child development, learning styles, social psychology, and child abuse and neglect prevention.

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Ecological Approach

With materials and support for facilitators, teachers, parents, school administrators, and community members, Childhelp Speak Up Be Safe helps children build a responsive safety network with the safe adults in their lives.

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Implementation Support

The virtual campus includes scripted, engaging lessons for each grade level, online facilitator training modules, teacher reinforcement activities, and resources for parents, teachers, school administrators, and community members to help implement the curriculum.

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