Kids Learn About Stranger Danger, Crossing Street at Safety City

There's no summertime slacking at Waukee's Safety City.

Youngsters have addresses to memorize, school bus safety to learn, and rules of crossing the street safely to absorb.

Safety City is a program taught by the Waukee Police Department school resources and volunteers that teaches incoming kindergartners about stranger danger, looking both ways while crossing the street and many more safety issues.

Sgt. Scott Cunningham, a school resource officer for the Waukee district, has been teaching Safety City for years. 

“We really enjoy doing this,” Cunningham said.

At the June 26 afternoon session of Safety City, located in the Waukee Middle School, 40 kindergartners learned all about how to be safe.

“I like the snacks,” Carter Johnson said. “I learned how to cross the street.”

The day started off with the children meeting in a large room to color and memorize their address, which they recited to the volunteers or to a police officer.

Other lessons included reviewing stranger danger safety with surprise guest, Woofy, the police dog puppet.

The groups then broke into two groups. One group stayed in the classroom to watch movies about safety issues and the other went into the gym to practice looking both ways before crossing steets, stopping and practicing pedestrian rights.

“I like that we get to go in the toy room,” Raegan Waage, a participant in Safety City said as she was playing with toy ducks. “I like that we get to watch TV, too.”

After that, the groups took a break to have snacks, and then switched activities.

Campbell Crawford enjoyed Safety City with her preschool friend.

“I like playing,” Campbell said. “I learned not to talk to strangers.”

School resource officer Rod Schettler said the message from Safety City reinforces what kids hear at home from their parents.

"It helps out the parents, hearing it from us, the law enforcement, as well,” he said.

Jenna Carey, who will be a Waukee High School senior, has been volunteering at Safety City for five years.

“It’s really fun to see them learn about safety,” Carey said. “It is fun to see them interact with each other.”

This is the third week of the Safety City program and about 240 kids have gone through the program already.