National Missing Children’s Day is a day dedicated to encouraging parents, guardians, caregivers, and others concerned with the well-being of children to make child safety a priority. Every year, thousands of children go missing, and a number of national organizations and law enforcement agencies have information and resources available for parents.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has introduced an app that helps parents store photos and vital information about their children in the palm of their hand. The free FBI Child ID App is available for iPhone and Android devices, and it allows parents the opportunity to immediately provide recent pictures and physical identifiers such as height and weight to security or police officers. There is even a special tab on the app that allows parents to quickly and easily e-mail information about the child to authorities with a few clicks. It even notifies users when profile updates are recommended.

The app also provides specific guidance on what to do in the first 48 hours after a child goes missing as well as tips on keeping children safe. The FBI says that no information on your child will be collected or stored by the FBI unless you provide it during an emergency.

Another important tool is the kit available through the National Child Identification Program. NCIP provides a physical kit to gather your child’s pictures, fingerprints, personal characteristics, and even DNA to keep with you in case of emergency.

The Child Rescue Network has some suggestions of ways to keep your child safe from predators and strangers.  They offer parents and guardians some recommendations of things to teach your child to do in case he or she gets lost or separated from family members in a public space:

If Lost, Play the Freeze Game:  Have an action plan for those inevitable moments when you and your child get separated, say in a crowded mall or theme park.  Your child should simply stop, stay put, and never go anywhere with anyone!  As the parent you should simply retrace your steps and you should find them quickly.  This plan also eliminates the need for your child to try to determine who is good and who might be a threat.  It doesn’t matter.  If someone offers to help, your child should say, “I’m playing the Freeze Game until my mom and dad get back. Can you stay with me?”

Parents can take the “lost” scenario one step further by teaching kids to yell and attract attention if a stranger ever tries to force them to go somewhere. A crying or screaming child can be misinterpreted as a tantrum, but a child yelling for help will trigger a reaction from anyone nearby. CRN says to tell kids to yell, “This is not my daddy, HELP!”  in order to get the attention of passersby.

Don’t keep secrets: Teach your child to say “No, I don’t keep secrets from mom and dad,” if an adult or older child asks your child to keep a secret. That simple statement can actually stop a predator in his tracks as they often use secrets to test the boundaries of a child they are “grooming” for possible abuse.

Have a family code word: At some point parents may need to have someone else pick up their child, perhaps in an emergency situation. By having a Family Code Word parents can empower the child to make the right decision.  They simply keep their distance and ask for the code word.  If the person knows the word, your child can feel safe knowing you sent the person.  If that person doesn’t know the code word, instruct your child to run to a safe place and tell a trusted adult.

For more information and resources visit the National Missing Children’s Day website.