Education
Prevention Education & Professional Training
24-Hour Hotline
Overview
As the national clearinghouse on missing and exploited children issues, NCMEC is uniquely situated to identify trends and create educational resources to address the changing needs of children, families, and communities. NCMEC provides safety and prevention resources for families and child-serving professionals focusing on the topics of online and real-world safety, including skills on how to handle a variety of situations ranging from staying home alone to knowing what to do in case of an emergency, to abduction and child sexual exploitation prevention.
Every child deserves a safe childhood.
Questions? Contact NCMEC’s Outreach and Prevention staff via email, outreach@ncmec.org.
By the Numbers
NCMEC has trained over
350,000
child serving professionals.
Over
200,000
kids have seen "Into the Cloud".
KidSmartz resources have been viewed across
all 50 states and
170 countires.
Prevention Programs
NCMEC provides safety and prevention resources for families and child-serving professionals focusing on the topics of online and real-world safety, including skills on how to handle a variety of situations ranging from staying home alone to knowing what to do in case of an emergency, to abduction and child sexual exploitation prevention.
NetSmartz Online Safety Program
NetSmartz® is an educational program that teaches children ages 5-17 about online safety and digital citizenship. NetSmartz offers free, age-appropriate resources including videos, games, presentations, and classroom lessons to help children learn essential digital citizenship skills and how to protect themselves and their friends online. NetSmartz also has resources for parents and other trusted adults who need assistance talking to children about technology or on how to protect them online.
Watch NCMEC's Newest Educational Series "Into the Cloud"
KidSmartz Personal Safety Program
KidSmartz® is a child safety program that educates families about preventing abduction and empowers kids in grades K-5 to practice safer behaviors. This program offers resources to help parents, caregivers, and teachers protect children by teaching and practicing the Four Rules of Personal Safety using tips, printable activities, quizzes, articles, music, videos, and more.
Professional Training and Resources
NCMEC provides safety and prevention resources for families and child-serving professionals focusing on the topics of online and real-world safety, including skills on how to handle a variety of situations ranging from staying home alone to knowing what to do in case of an emergency, to abduction and child sexual exploitation prevention.
Online Training Courses
NCMEC Connect is your virtual gateway to on-demand trainings, resources and best practices related to missing and exploited children. Access our learning platform to build your knowledge set around these issues to better protect children in your community.
In-Person Courses
NCMEC hosts in-person learning for child-serving professionals seeking to expand their knowledge of response to and prevention of missing and exploited children's issues.
CODE ADAM
Code Adam, a program named in memory of Adam Walsh, is designed to help businesses and other establishments ensure that they have safety protocols in place to respond quickly and effectively to situations involving a missing child. It is now one of the largest child safety protocols being implemented in tens of thousands of establishments across the nation and provides critical guidance to employees on how to handle reports of missing children on the premises.
Missing Kids Readiness Program (MKRP)
MKRP promotes best practices for responding to calls of missing, abducted and sexually exploited children. Agencies will be recognized by NCMEC for meeting essential training and policy elements demonstrating preparedness for responding to a missing child incident.
Requests
Training Request
If you are interested in hosting a NCMEC training program, submit your request.
Event Request
Complete the Community Event, Conference, and Training Request Form to request NCMEC representation at your next community or conference event.
More
Children on the Autism Spectrum
Finding and safely recovering a missing child with Autism or other special needs presents unique and difficult challenges for families, law enforcement, first responders and search teams. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has special search protocols and checklists to help first responders. In addition, NCMEC has translated our NetSmartz and KidSmartz Safety Rules into SymbolStix.
Disaster Preparedness
Families may become separated during the chaos of a disaster, especially when evacuation is required. It is important to plan for your family’s safety. Be sure your child ID Kits are complete, then download and print your Disaster Safety Tips!
Learn more about disaster preparedness!
Safe To Compete: Protecting Child Athletes from Sexual Abuse
NCMEC’s Safe to Compete program provides youth sports organizations and families of child athletes with resources and best practices to help protect children from sexual abuse. Visit the SafeToCompete website.
Publications
Browse all of NCMEC’s child safety and prevention publications.