Child Abuse Prevention Month at Wildflower

In Canada, October is recognized as Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness about child safety. At Wildflower, we’re leading efforts to protect our kids and empower families.

Last year, the Kootenay School District 8 chose Wildflower to pilot the Kids in the Know program, a national safety education program developed by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. 

This curriculum is individual for grades K-12. At Wildflower it will be implemented for Seedlings through Grade 9.

The Kids in the Know program teaches age-appropriate, developmentally tailored safety information for each grade level. This isn’t sex education—it’s about personal safety, helping kids recognize unsafe situations, whether in real life or online, and teaching them how to respond. Each lesson is designed to empower children with the tools to stay safe while respecting their developmental stage.

Kids in the Know engages students with interactive activities to help them develop skills that increase their personal safety and reduce the risk of victimization, both online and offline.

This year, the entire Kootenay School District 8 will implement the program.

The Wildflower Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) sees this month as an amazing opportunity to inform you that your children will be learning from this important curriculum, and we want to help you support these lessons at home. Stay tuned for more updates.

The Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) sees this as an amazing opportunity to inform you that your children will be learning from this important curriculum, and we want to help you support these lessons at home. Stay tuned for more updates!

You’re also invited to sign up for our Kids In The Know Parent Info Session with Rosalia Rivera (via Zoom) for additional information and support. Upcoming date to be announced soon!

If you have questions, please reach out to Nick Graves or Rosalia Rivera for more information.

Here’s what you can expect this year:

Here’s what you can expect this year:

For Parents

October/November: Understanding the Issue of Child Sexual Abuse

We’ll start by raising awareness about child sexual abuse, it’s prevelance in Canada and B.C. and focus on protecting children from both in-person and online exploitation.

Parents can access resources to better understand the issue and learn how to support their children.

Resources for Parents:

• Emerging Issues from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (C3P)

• Protecting Your Child: A Parent’s Guide (PDF from C3P)

• Understand and Identify Child Sexual Abuse | C3P

• Signs That A Child or Teen May Be At-Risk | StopItNow.org

Recent News Articles:

• BC Police Can’t Keep Up with Boom in Online Child Exploitation

• Reports of Online Sexual Luring of Canadian Kids Up 815% in 5 Years

Parent Resource on Grooming Prevention Education:

• What is Child Grooming and Red Flags

• Online Grooming Education

• Video to Watch With Kids (Ages 10+)

For Students

Throughout the year, at the teacher's discretion (based on grade levels and in conjunction with other social-emotional learning subjects), students will be provided education and lessons on:

Body Autonomy, Boundaries, and Consent

The curriculum focuses on teaching students about body autonomy, boundaries, and consent, providing them with tools to stay safe in real-life situations.

The Kids in the Know program empowers children to understand and respect personal boundaries, ensuring they can confidently express when something isn’t right.

We’ll also share books available in the school library and recommended resources for home to help you reinforce these lessons.

Key Themes:

• Body autonomy and personal space

• Boundaries and consent

• Anti-bullying educational resources

Look out for:

• Recommended books

• Activities to practice at home

• Links to additional resources and classroom to home activities

Sexual Abuse Prevention Education

The curriculum will focus on body safety education, helping students understand what constitutes safe vs. unsafe touch.

The Kids in the Know curriculum teaches children how to recognize unsafe situations and identify trusted adults. It aims to help students develop assertiveness skills, learn to listen to their instincts and how to access emergency help.

Topics include:

• Safe vs. unsafe touch

• Secret safety: Knowing when to tell a trusted adult

• Recognizing warning signs and emotional intelligence

Online Safety for All Ages

The Kids in the Know program’s online safety lessons focus on teaching students how to identify and avoid dangers online.

Key concepts include recognizing cyberbullying, understanding the risks of self/peer exploitation (like sharing inappropriate images), and identifying online grooming tactics used by predators.

The curriculum provides age-appropriate strategies to help students manage risky situations, set boundaries, and report inappropriate behavior.

It emphasizes the importance of digital citizenship and equips students to navigate the internet safely while respecting their and others' privacy​.

Resources for parents will be emailed/available to support:

• Media and porn literacy for children aged 6+

• Books and videos will be available at school, and recommendations for home

• School and home activities on digital citizenship and online safety

How You Can Support Your Child at Home:

We’re excited that Wildflower is leading the way with the Kids in the Know program and even more thrilled that the entire district will now be participating. 

Teachers may send additional information home or information to share on sensitive topics to be discussed in the classroom.

We encourage parents to check out the body safety books available through Claire Hewson, our librarian, or in the classroom and explore the monthly resources and activities the PAC will share to help support these critical lessons at home.

Together, we can build a safer, more informed community for all children and families. 

Warmly,

Martine M., Rosalia R., Adam M.

Wildflower School Parent Advisory Committee (PAC)