Prevention: Stay Tuned for Updates
Prevention
Since 2007, our Safety Smarts program provided elementary students in the Poudre School District with the tools to recognize, refuse, and report unsafe touches and behaviors. Our instructors used an evidence-informed curriculum to teach students about general safety rules, taking ownership of their bodily safety, and recognizing, refusing, and reporting attempts to touch them in an inappropriate or unsafe way.
We taught classes in both English and Spanish and offered a unique version of Safety Smarts for students with more concrete and visually based learning needs, including students on the autism spectrum.
At that time, we provided Safety Smarts in 29 public and charter elementary schools throughout Fort Collins, Wellington, Laporte, Red Feather Lakes, and Timnath.
Looking ahead to 2027, The Crawford Child Advocacy Center is reimagining how we provide prevention services and educational opportunities throughout our community. We are exploring additional ways to bring prevention education to schools throughout Larimer County, while also expanding opportunities for community members of all ages to access education and resources related to child safety, healthy relationships, abuse prevention, online safety, and other topics that promote the safety and well-being of children, youth, and adults. Through this expanded approach, we hope to reach a broader segment of our community and provide relevant, accessible prevention education that meets the evolving needs of the children, families, schools, and communities we serve.
Why We Are Looking to the Future
For nearly 20 years, Safety Smarts has helped thousands of children learn about personal safety, boundaries, recognizing unsafe behavior, and how to seek help. As our community and the challenges facing children and families have evolved, we believe our prevention efforts should evolve as well.
In 2027, The Crawford Child Advocacy Center is looking to reimagine how we provide prevention education throughout Larimer County. We want to expand our reach beyond individual classrooms and create opportunities for schools, families, professionals, and community members to benefit from our knowledge and expertise.
We also see an opportunity to bring our community partners into this work, drawing on the experience of law enforcement, child welfare, prosecutors, and other professionals who investigate and respond to crimes against children and adults. Together, we can provide broader, relevant education on child and adult safety, abuse prevention, healthy boundaries, online safety, and recognizing and responding to concerns.
Our goal is simple: to share what we know with more of our community and create more opportunities to prevent abuse before it happens.