Welcome to radKIDS^®, a not-for-profit educational organization dedicated to providing realistic choices and options to children and parents concerning their overall safety in the world today. It is our mission to provide, through education, realistic choices for children to avoid and/or escape violence or harm in their daily lives.

It was estimated in 1988 (National Incidence Study of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, or Thrownaway Children - NISMART) over 114,000 abductions were attempted on children in our country. Every year in the U.S. alone, over one third of all the sexual assaults reported to law enforcement agencies involve children under 12 years old. In addition, in 1997 it was estimated over 1,054,000 children suffered from child abuse or neglect in this country. This translates into an astounding 15 children out of every 1,000; of that group, more than three children die each day because of abuse.

As you can see, although many people believe it will never happen to "my children", we should all remember that the statistics tell a different story. In fact, it is estimated there is one pedophile for every square mile in our country, everywhere from big cities to small rural communities. Our children must face a realistic problem, and we at radKIDS^® believe Every Child has a RIGHT to a Realistic and Empowering Safety Education so they may, if necessary, avoid or escape the dangers in their world today.

The radKIDS^® Personal Empowerment and Safety Education Program has been developed after years of research and refinement with dedicated education professionals, law enforcement professionals, sexual assault counselors, self-defense experts, and of course, concerned parents and their children. radKIDS^® are COOL Kids empowered in their own safety. The radKIDS^® Program is dedicated to resisting aggression with defense and was originally developed with guidance and assistance from RAD Systems, the National Standard in Women's Personal Safety.

This educational program incorporates many styles of presentation and is soundly based in accelerated learning theory. The program includes information and activities based on building confidence and self-esteem in the children so they truly gain the knowledge and confidence to make positive choices in their own safety. In addition, the program is presented, whenever possible with parental participation, so a true partnership can be established between the child and their trusted grown up. All parents receive a Parent/Student Manual so they can actively participate in their children's safety.

The radKIDS^® Personal Empowerment Safety Education Program began in 1998, and since that time we have been fortunate enough to train over 2500 Instructors in over 45 states and Canada. This dedicated alliance of Instructors has educated over 125,000 children, and it is our hope to educate thousands more. You, too, can help. We believe every child has the right to this realistic education, and as radKIDS^® Instructors, we believe it is our responsibility to help.

please remember our children can only make choices based on what they know and what they believe. Education and Personal Empowerment are the keys to success

radKIDS^® is the national leader in children's safety, with headquarters based in South Dennis, Massachussetts. radKIDS^® is brought to children and parents by the training and development of nationally certified instructors drawn from their own communities. By empowering a community with certified local instructors, the radKIDS^® Personal Empowerment Safety Education package is not just a program but a true gift to the community.

Purpose
Since it's inception in 1998, radKIDS^®, Inc. has been committed to providing education that enhances the ability of children and parents to utilize knowledge, skills, and power to protect themselves from violence and harm.

radKIDS^®: Making A Difference
radKIDS^® strengthens family, encourages physical fitness, and teaches core safety values to live by through its program. Fun, activity-based programs include lecture, safety drills, muscle memory exercises and dynamic simulation. radKIDS^® community based programs have been offered as after school programs, day camps, recreation programs, as well as through scouting and religious youth groups.

• 125,000 children have been trained in the radKIDS^® personal Empowerment Safety education program.
• More than 2500 community based instructors have been trained in over 45 states and Canada.
• 39 children threatened with abduction used their skills and returned safely to their families.
• Hundreds of children spoke up and got the help they needed to stop the abuse.

Through radKIDS^® training, children become empowered and learn to replace the fear, confusion, and panic or dangerous situations with confidence, personal safety skills, and self-esteem.

National Network
Community-based organizations receive training and support from national headquarters to provide the radKIDS^® program as a part of their own youth work. These groups, which have safety goals compatible with those of radKIDS^®, include police departments, educational organizations, civic groups, fraternal organizations, citizens' groups and concerned parents.

Programs
The radKIDS^® Personal Empowerment Safety Education Program is a 10-hour family centered safety education program that emphasizes essential decision-making skills as well as physical resistance options to escape violence. Children from 5-12 years of age participate in the program with their adult partners to create a true safety partnership.

The Four Most Pressing Issues

Abduction - Bullying and School Violence - Child Abuse and Neglect - Sexual Assault

Abduction

• According to NISMART II data, in 1999 there were 1,315,600 missing children in the US. An estimated 797,500 are reported to police. (NISMART II October 2002)
• Research indicates very young children are the most frequent victims of child fatalities. The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) data for 2002 demonstrated children younger than 12 years old accounted for 94 percent of child fatalities. (National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information 2004)
• The US Department of Justice recently reported that in a one-year period of time (1999): 1,682,900 children ran away. 203,900 children were abducted by family members, 198,300 children were involuntarily missing, lost or injured and 58,200 children were abducted by a non family perpetrator including an estimated 115 victims of stereotypical kidnappings.. (NISMART II October 2002)
• 38% of non family abducted children were abducted by a friend or long term acquaintance, 5% by a neighbor, 6% by persons of authority and 4% by a caretaker or babysitter." (NISMART II October 2002)
• Homes or yards were the origination point in only a minority of the abductions of all non family abducted children (23%) and of those who were stereotypically kidnapped (19%). Instead, streets, parks, or wooded areas and other public areas (i.e.: generally accessible spaces) were the places from which children were typically abducted." (NISMART II October 2002)
• 34% of American parents who do not know all three pieces of the following information about their children: height, weight and eye color. (Time Magazine, "Numbers" June 4, 2001)

Bullying and School Violence

• Bullying generally begins in the elementary grades, peaks in the sixth through eight grades and persists into high school. (Addressing the Problem of Juvenile Bullying, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2001)
• In one-study, 80% of students in grades 8-12 and 90% of students in grades 4-8 responded that they have been bullied at some point in their school careers. (Hoover, Oliver & Hazler,1992; Hoover, Oliver & Thompson,1993)
• Though recent studies show that as many as seventy-five percent of children have been victims of bullying during their school careers, about half of parents in this survey see bullying as no problem for their children. (Are We Safe?: The 2000 National Crime Prevention Survey, National Crime Prevention Council, 2001)
• A survey last year by the U.S Centers for Disease Control and prevention showed that 10,000 children stayed home from school a least once a month fearing bullies and half the children surveyed were bullied weekly.
• About 22% of students in grades 4-8 reported academic difficulties as a result of peer abuse. (The Bully prevention Handbook, 1996)
• A recent report on fatal school shootings found that more than two-thirds of the attackers said they were bullied, persecuted, threatened, attacked, or injured by others prior to the incident. Bullying appeared to be a major reason for attacks by those who reported that they were victims of longstanding, severe, bullying and harassment. (US Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center, 2000)

Child Abuse and Neglect

• A child is abused and / or neglected in America every 35 SECONDS. Children's Bureau, (2003) Child Maltreatment 2000. Washington, DC: Children's Bureau, US Department of Health and Human Services.
• For Calendar year 2002, State and local child protective services (CPS) determined that 896,000 children were determined to be victims of child abuse and neglect. "Child Maltreatment 2002"
• In 2002, an estimated total of 2.6 million child abuse or neglect referrals concerning the welfare of approximately 4.5 million children were made to CPS agencies throughout the United States. 896,000 were indicated or founded ("Child Maltreatment 2002") Which means there are 50,000 reports of child abuse or Neglect a week in the U.S
• The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) reported an estimated 1,400 child fatalities in 2002.
• The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) data for 2002 demonstrates that children younger than 12 years old accounted for 94 percent of child fatalities. Among them the very youngest are the most vulnerable. (2004)
• Survivors of child abuse and neglect may be at greater risk for problems later in life-such as low academic achievement, drug use, teen pregnancy, and criminal behavior-that affect not just the child and family, but society as a whole.

Sexual Assault

• An epidemic of child molestation is spreading across America yet few people are aware that 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 7 boys will be molested before age 18. ~Answers to Important Questions About The Scope and Nature of Child Sexual Abuse." 1993 David Finkelhor, Professor, University of New Hampshire, Family Research Laboratory.
• The U.S. Department of Justice reported four million child molesters reside in this country. ~Network News, Fall Edition, 1985
• A typical molester will abuse 30 to 60 children before they are arrested - as many as 380 during their lifetime. ~"The Effects of Pornography on Children and Women," Hearing before the Subcommittee of Juvenile Justice, Committee on the Judiciary U.S. Senate (testimony of John Rabun, for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 9/12/84).
• Almost half of all sex offenders are under 18. ~1991 FBI Uniform Crime Report
• 57% of child molesters were molested themselves as children. ~Goldstein-Harte Study 1973; Carter et al, "Use of Pornography in the Criminal and Developmental Histories of Sexual Offenders," 1984.

The creed of the program was simple: No one has the right to harm a child; every child is a person worthy of dignity and respect.

WE AREN'T PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN AGAINST VIOLENCE, WE ARE PROTECTING THEM ONLY AGAINST OUR FEARS  - WE WANT TO HIDE FROM THE "DARK SIDE" AND NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE POSSIBILITY OF THEM BEING HURT IN THEIR OWN HOMES.