Digital Child ID Program Updated & Looks to Expand to New Areas

The new Safe Kids Identification Program (SKIP for short) is now more user-friendly and helps parents gather, store and update pertinent information about their child on their home computer. The kits provide law enforcement agencies with critical information that dramatically improves agency response time when trying to locate a missing child or issue an Amber Alert. President Coleen Widell said, "In order to ensure a lot more children get enrolled in the program, we need other people who want to get involved in their communities."

(PRWEB) July 30, 2005 -- The new Safe Kids Identification Program (SKIP for short) is now more user-friendly and helps parents gather, store and update pertinent information about their child on their home computer. The kits provide law enforcement agencies with critical information that dramatically improves agency response time when trying to locate a missing child or issue an Amber Alert.

To date, over 2500 children have received the SKIP identification kits.

President Coleen Widell said, "In order to ensure a lot more children get enrolled in the program, we need other people who want to get involved in their communities."

A recent rash of missing and abducted children across America demonstrates the need for vigilance in protecting our children. SKIP has one solution to help parents keep their children just a little bit safer.

The updated SKIP program is a user-friendly computer ID system that includes photographs and vital statistics about the child such as height, weight, eye and hair color, birthmark, scars and medical issues. This information is stored on a computer disk and the parent can update the information as the child grows.

In the event the child goes missing, the SKIP Program can be used to immediately create and print -- at the click of a button -- a Missing Child Poster complete with pictures, identifying information and details about the childs distinguishing characteristics, clothing and place of disappearance.

More importantly, the Missing Child Poster can be emailed directly to the police department, local media and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Because the first three hours a child is missing are the most critical, the SKIP email component can shave off hours up front at a time when time is of the essence.

The SKIP child ID kit also includes a Toothprint dental wafer that captures the childs bite pattern -- as unique to each individual as fingerprints -- as well as DNA and the childs scent for police tracking dogs.

The Arizona-based program was founded in 2004 by Arizona residents, Coleen Widell & Rick Naylor. SKIP ID events have been held in elementary schools, Parks & Recreation programs, after-school programs for latchkey children, tribal community centers, child health & safety fairs, programs for homeless children and for hundreds of the Special Olympics athletes.

Local fraternal and service organizations such as the Eagles Aerie, Elks Lodge and Kiwanis, frequently support SKIP by providing financial donations so low-income families or at-risk youth can receive their ID kits free of charge.

SKIP and the Lake Havasu City Arizona Eagles Aerie #4299 was recently featured in the national "Eagle Magazine" for offering free child IDs to local homeless children.

SKIP now offers an on-site ID event, during which SKIP staff comes to a local school, business or public place to record the childs portrait picture and basic demographic information on a floppy disk. The on-site program was specifically developed for parents without computers or computer skills.

Price ranges from $14.00 for the on-site floppy disk, $14.95 for a single child CD and $24.95 for a family CD for up to five children. All SKIP identification kits come with a Toothprint and are available by local distributors, as well as online.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, nearly 800,000 children are reported missing each year. That means that 2,200 times every day, some parent somewhere in America felt their childs disappearance was serious enough to call in the police.

"The good news," Coleen said, "is that many children can be recovered if their parents immediately provide police with a complete record of identification. Parents should always be prepared, just in case of emergency, by keeping updated digital records of their children."

To get a SKIP Program kit for your child, to get involved as a business adventure, or for further information on SKIP programs please call Coleen Widell at 928-453-9015. You can also visit their website at http://www.aidv-usa.com/SKIP.htm.

SKIP Kits available for live in-studio and phone interview demonstrations.

Contact: Coleen Widell at 928-453-9015 or via cell at 928-846-0686.

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