TOLEDO, Ohio — Committing your family's contact information to heart can be difficult for some, especially for children who need to memorize their parents' phone numbers and more.
The Toledo Police Department holds Safe-T-City in the summertime to help them memorize important personal information like how to best get ahold of their parents, as well as general safety.
The program is targeted at kindergarteners and first graders at Toledo schools, but other surrounding cities hold their own programs as well.
Prince Flores, a TPD officer assigned as a school resource officer, said the lessons can range from things like street, railroad and bus safety to stranger danger.
"Making sure they know their address, their phone number, knowing their parents' names other than calling them mom or dad," Flores said. "All that stuff is very helpful."
Flores said repetition and getting kids familiar with their surroundings like their houses are key if they are lost or in danger, so they can more easily be reunited with their families. But, children can still be apprehensive.
"They have a really hard time speaking to people outside of their family or anyone else," Flores said. "That information can kind of help us narrow down where they're at, or get them help or contact a family member."
WTOL 11 asked parents and their kids at Wildwood Metropark just how much they know their own contact information. Mothers like Emily Cherry said she didn't have Safe-T-City at the time, so they practiced other ways.
Cherry said she would practice with her kids in the car and ask them to remember actual names versus just Mom and Dad. She said Cub Scouts and catchy tunes also helped with memorization.
"We set my phone number to a song, so they could sing it and that made it a little easier to remember, and my 7-year-old still sings my phone number," she said.
Flores said there are situations where a kid may be nonverbal, which can make some situations more difficult. But, some units work in specific areas to become familiar with those who may need more help, Flores said.
Flores said the department will have more information on Safe-T-City closer to this summer.