At the end of last week, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, National Child ID Program Executive Director Kenny Hansmire, Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks, Florida Sheriffs Association President and Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis, and representatives from the Department of Education, Florida Association of District School Superintendents, and Florida Association of School Resource Officers announced that free Child ID kits will be distributed to the parents of every kindergarten student in Florida.
Child ID kits make it easier for parents to collect identifying information by easily recording the physical characteristics, photographs, fingerprints and DNA of their children on identification cards that are kept at home by the parent or guardian if ever needed. The kits are an important tool to assist law enforcement in finding missing children.
“Child ID kits are a great, low-tech tool that helps parents record and safely store important identification information about their children. Parents keep total control of the kits and, should an emergency arise, they can quickly present it to law enforcement. As a mother, I truly hope no parent ever needs to utilize the kit—but should a child go missing, it could prove vital in helping law enforcement and the public in their search,” said Moody.
“I am humbled by the leadership of Attorney General Moody and her dedication to the largest safety initiative in the state of Florida. She is taking major steps to ensure safety in her state and leading the charge to protect Florida’s children. I am honored to join with her on this partnership on the launch of the Florida Child ID Program,” said Hansmire.
“There is no such thing as being overprepared when it comes to the safety and wellbeing of our children,” Nienhuis said. “With a child going missing every 40 seconds in America, we must all be ready for worst-case scenarios. God willing, law enforcement will never need to see your Child ID Kit, but the National Child Identification Program allows families to be proactive with their at-home kit in case of an emergency,”
According to the National Child Identification Program, more than 800,000 children go missing each year in the U.S.—one every 40 seconds. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement states more than 25,000 incidences of missing children were reported to Florida law enforcement agencies in 2021.
Approximately 250,000 kits will be provided to all Florida school districts for distribution to public, private and charter schools for the parents of kindergarten students.
More information about the kits can be found here.
The NCIP is currently operating in 24 other states across the country. The program works with federal, state and local leaders, coaches, athletes, faith-based organizations and major corporations to increase the safety of children in communities across the country. In the past 25 years, the organization helped distribute more than 81 million kits to all 50 states.
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