1. Special Report on Summer Safety [return to top]

Now that school is out, this is the perfect time for parents to talk with their kids about summer safety. According to Children Now's 2002 Report Card, the leading cause of accidental death for California children ages one through four is drowning, followed closely by motor vehicle accidents. As a parent, you can decrease your children's risks this summer by initiating conversations with them. Find out how they are staying safe. Discuss ways they can protect themselves in a home with a pool or in a play area near a busy intersection. Use this time to create an open environment where your kids can bring up other issues as well. As you get into the habit of using everyday opportunities to talk, you'll notice talking about other issues with them becomes easier, especially since many of those issues extend well beyond summer.

View more safety findings from Children Now's Report Card at:
* http://www.childrennow.org/california/rc-2002/reportcard02.htm

For more information on summer safety tips, visit:
* http://www.nfpa.org/Research/NFPAFactSheets/Summer/Summer.asp

* http://www.safekids.org

2. Tip of the Month: Start Early [return to top]

Research shows that when young children want information, advice and guidance, they turn to their parents first. Once they reach the teenage years, however, they tend to depend more on friends, the media and other outsiders for their information. As a parent, you have a wonderful opportunity to talk with your kids about tough issues before anyone else can confuse them with incorrect information or explanations that lack the sense of values you want to instill. Take advantage of this "window of opportunity" and talk with them earlier and more often.

For more tips on other Talking with Kids topics, visit:
* http://www.talkingwithkids.org/index.html

Download your FREE Talking with Kids parent booklet at:
* http://www.talkingwithkids.org/booklet.html

3. Recommended Summer Reading for Kids [return to top]

You, as a parent, have an opportunity to talk with your kids about tough issues before anyone else. One way to reinforce your values is by encouraging them to read books that support what you say. Here is a short list to get you and your children started.

Ages 5-10:
* What's a Virus Anyway? The Kids' Book About AIDS, by Fassler and McQueen

Ages 8-11:
* Alex, the Kid with AIDS, by Lina W. Girard

Ages 9-12:
* The Eighteenth Emergency, by Betsey Byars

For the complete list of recommended books, organizations and Web sites, visit:
* http://www.talkingwithkids.org/local.html

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