Frequently asked questions

This page provides information about the Kids in the Know Program and is organized by topic to help you find information relevant to your role—whether you’re an educator, parent, or someone looking to learn more about the program.

FAQ

About the Program

What is the Kids in the Know Program?

The Kids in the Know Program equips teachers with ready to use, age appropriate lessons that help children build personal safety skills—online and offline in everyday life. It follows a community-based approach that involves children, educators, and parents, as well as community agencies.

What age group is the program designed for?

The Kids in the Know Program has age-appropriate lessons organized by grade level, from kindergarten to Grade 12.

What will students learn in the program?

Through age-appropriate lessons from kindergarten to high school, children learn safety skills that build personal safety confidence and competence, helping them recognize, avoid, and respond to unsafe situations both online and offline.

Students will learn:

  • Healthy relationships — understanding cooperation versus control
  • Online safety — focusing on content, contact, and conduct
  • Understanding personal boundaries, bodily autonomy and agency
  • Building refusal skills, practicing assertiveness, and using bystander strategies
  • How to get help — identifying safe adults and support pathways
  • Building resiliency skills — assertiveness, self-awareness, social-emotional competence, problem-solving, critical thinking, and making low-risk choices
  • Recognizing and reporting concerning experiences and behaviours to safe adults
  • Understanding that those who have experienced abuse are never to blame
  • Strengthening communication between parents and children about personal safety

Is the program aligned with Canadian curricula outcomes?

The Kids in the Know Program meets physical health curricula outcomes across Canada. View alignment in your province or territory.

Who created the Kids in the Know Program?

The Kids in the Know Program has been created by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (C3P), a national charity dedicated to the personal safety of all children. C3P’s goal is to reduce the sexual abuse and exploitation of children, assist in the location of missing children, and prevent child victimization through a number of programs, services, and resources for Canadian families, educators, child-serving organizations, law enforcement, and other parties.

Learn more about the work of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.

What makes the Kids in the Know Program unique?

Grounded in Canadian Expertise

The Kids in the Know Program is informed by the most current Canadian knowledge on child sexual abuse and exploitation. Developed by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (C3P), the program draws on insights from the operation of C3P programs and services like Cybertip.ca, NeedHelpNow.ca, MissingKids.ca, and Project Arachnid to address real-world risks facing children and youth today—both online and offline.

Shaped by Student Voices

Each year, student advisory groups help identify the challenges kids face, the technologies they’re using, and identify knowledge gaps, across several age groups. This input ensures the program remains relevant and responsive to students’ lived experiences.

Expertly Developed, Trauma-Informed

The Kids in the Know Program has been created by C3P’s specialists in child sexual abuse prevention and trauma-informed education. When creating new materials and updating the program, C3P works with some of the world’s leading experts. The program has been designed to be primary prevention, however it takes into consideration secondary and tertiary prevention to address risk before it becomes a serious or long-term issue and minimize the ongoing impact and prevent the cycle of harm from continuing, respectively.

Scalable and Curriculum-Aligned

The Kids in the Know Program offers flexible delivery, because prevention education is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Lessons can be used standalone, as integrated units, or as a full school program. Lessons are aligned with provincial curriculum outcomes, making them easy to implement in classrooms and adaptable across diverse communities.

Will teachers feel uncomfortable teaching sensitive topics?

There can sometimes be apprehension about teaching students about sensitive topics, but it is important that students learn about and have opportunities to practice employing safety strategies.

The Kids in the Know Program aligns with curriculum outcomes and offers clear guidance for introducing these topics in a matter-of-fact way, much like other forms of safety. Many educators find their concerns fade once they see how well students engage with the activity-based lessons, and how valuable the learning is for their safety and confidence.

Personal Safety Education

What is personal safety education?

Personal safety education refers to learning that empowers children and youth with knowledge, self-confidence, and skills that reduce the risk of victimization online and offline and strengthen their resilience.

It goes beyond simple safety rules and uses a comprehensive prevention approach that covers boundaries, assertiveness, emotional awareness, identifying support networks, and getting help from safe adults.

Will teaching kids about personal safety with the Kids in the Know Program scare them?

Research about personal safety programs indicate that they do not make children unnecessarily scared and anxious. In the Kids in the Know Program, efforts have been made to ensure students have been set up for success. Students are engaged in learning through fun, interactive, activity-based lessons that are not based on fear. Lessons are age-appropriate and help build on a child’s self-esteem at every level of the educational process. Learn more about research on this topic.

Do we tell children and youth that we are talking about harms like sexual abuse?

Children do not need to know that you are teaching them skills that may help prevent child sexual abuse. What children need to know is that the information you are sharing with them will give them skills to help keep them safe and healthy.

For Educators

How can I bring the Kids in the Know Program to my classroom or school?

Getting started is easy. Because the program is flexible and scalable, teachers can order lessons and resources for the grades they teach. Purchased programs contain multiple lessons per grade in print and digital format and some kits also include puppets and storybooks.

Visit our resource and ordering page.

Is the Kids in the Know Program available in print or digital formats?

Some program materials are available in print and digital formats, while others are exclusively in digital format. Program information is available on our ordering page. You are also welcome to contact us to learn more about the program formats that best suit your needs.

Do I need training to teach the Kids in the Know Program?

While the program is designed for teachers and is ready to use, optional professional development is available.

Are the materials available in French and English?

The Kids in the Know Program is fully bilingual and available in French and English.

Is there a cost for the Kids in the Know Program?

As a charity, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection operates on a cost-recovery model to support the development and delivery of its resources.

The Kids in the Know Program is designed to be flexible and scalable to meet the needs of diverse schools and communities. Select resources are available at no cost to schools, while others are available for a nominal purchase cost. Pricing is available on our ordering page.

If you’re unsure which options are right for you, please contact us for more information or support with program selection.

For Parents & Caregivers

How can I support the Kids in the Know Program at home?

The Kids in the Know Program includes take-home activities to reinforce safety messages from the lessons and enhance communication between parents and children. These activities, along with resources such as storybooks, comic and activity books, and websites can help you talk to your kids at home.

Can I access the Kids in the Know Program materials as a parent?

We encourage parents and caregivers to contact their child’s teacher to view the resources in detail. We also have lesson previews available. If you have additional questions about program content, please contact us.

What if I have concerns about sensitive topics being discussed in the classroom?

It’s completely understandable to have questions about how sensitive topics are addressed. The Kids in the Know Program is designed to approach these subjects in an age-appropriate and non-fear-based way. Lessons are interactive and activity-based, aiming to build children’s understanding and confidence.

The lesson content aligns with provincial curriculum expectations and supports what children are already learning in school.

If you have specific concerns, we welcome you to connect with your child’s teacher to review the materials. You can also connect with our team who are here to support.

How do I talk to my child about personal safety in age-appropriate ways?

Take-home activities from the Kids in the Know Program are designed to reinforce safety messages from the lessons and enhance communication between parents and children. Additional helpful resources and information to support your safety conversations include: