TAKE 25

Take 25 is a preventive child safety campaign created by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) in honor of National Missing Children’s Day. Annually honored on May 25th, this day serves as a reminder to the nation to make child safety a national priority.

Designed to raise awareness of the issues surrounding missing and exploited children, the Take 25 campaign encourages parents, guardians, educators, and others to take 25 minutes to talk to children about safety. With a focus on prevention, Take 25 provides communities with free safety resources including safety tips, conversation starters, and engaging activities. Take 25’s resources are available free of charge and can be found at local Take 25 events.

In 2007, NCMEC joined forces with more than 100 local and national organizations to launch the Take 25 campaign. With the help of our partner organizations, more than 375 Take 25 child safety events were hosted in communities across the United States and abroad. While this was a great achievement for the first year, the Take 25 campaign has continued to grow each year, hosting more than 7,000 events in 2011. Since its inception a total of 13,000 Take 25 events have been hosted in nearly 4,000 cities throughout the United States and abroad.

Childhood is full of rewards and potential risks. As babies become toddlers, they are more prone to bumps, bruises, falls, and distractions. As children grow into teenagers, they become increasingly independent and are more apt to explore, live life, and socialize with less family supervision.

Fortunately, potential risks children face throughout their lives can be lessened when parents and guardians teach safety concepts. While it may not be possible for parents and guardians to be with their children every minute of the day, they can spend time talking to them, setting appropriate limits, and helping them make good choices.

Just minutes of prevention can make a huge impact in the life of a child.