Our Sources

Safety Buddy doesn't invent safety rules. Each lesson below is grounded in guidance from trusted national organizations, adapted for young children. This list names where each lesson's ideas come from — it isn't a claim of expert review, endorsement, or certification.

• Helper Buddy

  Shaped by early-childhood developmental guidance from the CDC's early-childhood milestones resources, NAEYC's principles of child development, and the Office of Head Start's early learning framework, used to keep the activity age-appropriate and adult-facilitated. The ages 5-6 "Buddy's Stay-Put Plan" lesson also draws on NCMEC's published KidSmartz guidance (grades K-5) for the check-first-before-going-with-anyone and stay-put-and-ask-a-helper principles.

  Before you start: Helper Buddy

  Adult-facing governance draft only. Not a child-facing lesson screen.

  Helper Buddy (Ages 3–4) — adult-facing pre-lesson summary

  Community Helpers (Ages 3–4) is adult-guided practice for caregivers, teachers, or facilitators. At a high level, it may introduce different ways people help in a community—for example, firefighters, police officers, EMS professionals, teachers, medical professionals, crossing guards, librarians, or postal and sanitation workers.

  Children this age vary in communication, development, experience, language, disability, and comfort, so adults should adapt and supervise this activity. Adults remain responsible for all real-world safety decisions.

  This is not a test of whether a child can identify a safe person, judge trustworthiness, or act independently.

  The activity does not teach emergency scripts or 911 calling, and the app does not contact emergency services.

  This does not collect child data. Advanced or sensitive topics are deferred.

  Before you start: Helper Buddy (Ages 5–6)

  Adult-facing governance draft only. Not a child-facing lesson screen.

  Buddy Finds Help (Ages 5–6) — adult-facing pre-lesson summary

  Buddy Finds Help (Ages 5–6) is Mission A of the Getting Help lesson series for this age band — it covers only what to do if Buddy gets separated from his grown-up in a store. It builds on the same "find a helper" foundation as the ages 3–4 Community Helpers activity, with more reasoning: putting the stop, stay-put, and ask sequence in the right order, understanding why staying in one place helps a grown-up find you, and choosing an appropriate helper (a worker wearing a vest or name tag) rather than asking another child.

  At this age, the adult should still be co-present or directly supervising. The difference from ages 3–4 is that the adult can explain the reasoning behind each choice (why staying put helps, why a worker wearing a vest or name tag is the right kind of helper to ask) rather than just modeling the single action — the child's job is still to notice, stay safe, and get help, never to judge a situation or a person's trustworthiness on their own.

  This is not a test of whether a child can identify a safe person, judge trustworthiness, or act independently. It does not teach emergency scripts or 911 calling. It also does not yet cover big-problem-vs-small-problem judgment or telling a helper what happened — those are separate, not-yet-built missions in this same series — and the app does not contact emergency services.

  This does not collect child data. Any family-specific information (names, meeting places, phone numbers) should stay an offline conversation between you and your child — never entered into the app.

• Emergency Buddy

  Informed by FEMA/Ready Kids family-emergency-planning guidance, American Red Cross youth-preparedness guidance, and NAEYC developmentally appropriate practice, at a high level.

  Before you start: Emergency Buddy

  Adult-facing governance draft only. Not a child-facing lesson screen.

  Emergency Buddy (Ages 3–4) — adult-facing pre-lesson summary

  Emergency vs. Non-Emergency (Ages 3–4) is adult-guided practice for caregivers, teachers, or facilitators. At a high level, it may introduce the idea that some situations may need urgent grown-up help while ordinary situations do not require emergency response.

  Children this age vary in communication, development, language, culture, disability, stress response, experience, and comfort, so adults should adapt and supervise this activity. Adults remain responsible for deciding whether a real situation is an emergency, contacting emergency services, and taking real-world action.

  This is not a test of whether a child can classify real situations independently.

  The activity does not teach 911 calling in this module, and the app does not contact emergency services.

  This does not collect child data. Examples, scenarios, advanced situations, and high-risk topics are deferred.

• Fire Buddy

  Informed by NFPA's Learn Not to Burn program, FEMA/U.S. Fire Administration guidance, American Red Cross youth preparedness guidance, and NAEYC developmentally appropriate practice, at a high level.

  Before you start: Fire Buddy

  Adult-facing governance draft only. Not a child-facing lesson screen.

  Fire Buddy (Ages 3–4) — adult-facing pre-lesson summary

  This Fire Safety activity for ages 3–4 is a brief, prevention-focused practice you lead with the child. It introduces ideas about staying safe around fire and smoke in calm, everyday settings—not during a real fire or emergency.

  Stay with the child throughout. You remain responsible for supervision, for keeping fire, heat, smoke, and other hazards under control, and for alarms and safe storage. The child should not check or investigate suspected hazards alone; if something seems unsafe, you handle it.

  Participating here does not mean the child has mastered fire safety or is ready to act alone in an emergency. In real emergencies, adults use household plans, alarms, professionals, and emergency services. This app does not monitor, assess, or respond to real emergencies.

  Adapt the activity to the child's communication, sensory needs, and setting as you see fit. Firefighters and other emergency helpers may appear as community helpers; this activity does not promise rescue or describe specific gear or uniforms.

  During prevention-focused practice only—not during an active fire or alarm—a child may learn to notice a possible problem and bring it to a nearby adult you choose. That is not a rule to look through the building for an adult during danger. Emergency calling belongs to separately governed 911 Calling Skills work, not this summary.

• Poison Buddy

  Informed by Poison Control/America's Poison Centers prevention guidance, AAP/HealthyChildren.org pediatric safety guidance, CDC child-injury-prevention guidance, and CPSC household-product-safety guidance, at a high level.

  Before you start: Poison Buddy

  Adult-facing governance draft only. Not a child-facing lesson screen.

  Poison Buddy (Ages 3–4) — adult-facing pre-lesson summary

  Poison Safety (Ages 3–4) is adult-guided practice for caregivers, teachers, or facilitators. This prevention-focused summary introduces at a high level that young children should not investigate or handle unknown products independently and should pause to get a trusted adult instead.

  Children this age are not expected to identify poison, decide whether a product is safe, distinguish medicines or household products on their own, interpret labels or warning symbols, assess exposure or symptoms, judge dose or severity, decide what professional or emergency help is needed, or respond independently. This activity is practice-only and is not a test or proof of mastery.

  Adults remain responsible for supervision, controlling access, safe storage, keeping products in appropriate containers, reading and following labels, giving medicine, making real-world safety decisions, handling suspected exposures, using current qualified professional or emergency help when appropriate, and following professional guidance.

  The activity does not assess an exposure, identify whether something is poisonous or safe, provide first aid or treatment, contact professional or emergency services, or teach children to choose or contact a service. This does not collect child data, health data, medication data, exposure data, or symptom data.

  Children vary in development, communication, language, disability and sensory needs, comfort, culture, and context, so adults should adapt and supervise this activity. Substance examples, product lists, exposure scenarios, symptoms, service-selection rules, contact details, first aid, treatment, and cleanup instructions are deferred.

• Choking Buddy

  Informed by CDC unintentional-injury data, CPSC small-parts and choking-hazard guidance, and AAP eating-safety guidance, at a high level.

  Before you start: Choking Buddy

  Adult-facing governance draft only. Not a child-facing lesson screen.

  Choking Buddy (Ages 3–4) — adult-facing pre-lesson summary

  Choking & Suffocation Safety (Ages 3–4) is adult-guided, prevention-focused practice for caregivers, teachers, or facilitators. It introduces sitting down and chewing well while eating, and leaving small toy pieces, popped balloon pieces, dangling cords or strings, and batteries alone and telling a grown-up instead of touching or tasting them.

  Children this age are not expected to judge which foods or objects are actual choking hazards, recognize a real choking event, or respond to one. This activity is practice-only and is not a test or proof of mastery.

  Adults remain responsible for food size and preparation, supervising children while they eat, keeping small parts, balloons, cords, and batteries out of reach, and responding to a real choking or suffocation emergency — including first aid and calling emergency services when appropriate.

  The activity does not teach choking first aid or emergency response of any kind, does not simulate a choking event, and does not contact emergency services. This does not collect child data, health data, or medical data.

  Children vary in development, communication, and comfort, so adults should adapt and supervise this activity. This content has not undergone specialized pediatric or speech-language expert review — see the standing content-scope override record for this module.

• Staying Safe Away from Home

  Informed by CDC family-reunification guidance, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children prevention guidance, and NAEYC developmentally appropriate practice, at a high level.

  Before you start: Staying Safe Away from Home

  Adult-facing governance draft only. Not a child-facing lesson screen.

  Staying Safe Away from Home (Ages 3–4) — adult-facing pre-lesson summary

  Staying Safe Away from Home (Ages 3–4) is adult-guided practice covering the routines for staying safe away from home: staying close and connected to a grown-up in public, looking and listening before moving near curbs, cars, parking lots, bikes, and buses, and what to do if separated from a grown-up — stop, find a helper wearing a name tag or vest, and stay with them until reunited.

  Children this age are not expected to navigate unfamiliar places alone, judge who is safe to approach on their own, or manage a real separation independently. This activity is practice-only and is not a test or proof of mastery.

  Adults remain responsible for supervision in all these settings — streets, cars, parking lots, bikes, and buses — including car seats, seatbelts, and helmets, and for a real family reunification plan if separation ever happens.

  The activity avoids fear-based "stranger danger" framing, does not simulate a real emergency or separation, and does not contact emergency services. This does not collect child data.

  Children vary in development, communication, and comfort, so adults should adapt and supervise this activity. This content has not undergone specialized child-safety expert review.

• Body Buddy

  Informed by National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (KidSmartz), NAEYC, and AAP/HealthyChildren.org guidance, at a high level.

  Before you start: Body Buddy

  Adult-facing governance draft only. Not a child-facing lesson screen.

  Body Buddy (Ages 3–4) — adult-facing pre-lesson summary

  Body Safety and Boundaries (Ages 3–4) is adult-guided practice for caregivers, teachers, or facilitators. Despite the module's name, this lesson currently teaches the "check first with a trusted grown-up" rule, recognizing unsafe secrets, and a No-Go-Tell response — covering a stranger offering a treat or an invitation, a known adult offering a toy and asking for secrecy, someone asking personal questions, and someone standing uncomfortably close. It does not yet teach content about private body parts, unwanted touch, or bodily autonomy specifically — that content has not been drafted.

  Children this age are not expected to judge on their own who is safe, manage a real unsafe request or secret independently, or recognize unwanted touch — a topic this lesson does not currently cover. This activity is practice-only and is not a test or proof of mastery.

  Adults remain responsible for all real-world safety decisions, for responding to any disclosure a child makes, and for further body-safety education this lesson does not provide.

  The activity avoids fear-based framing, does not simulate a real unsafe encounter, and does not contact emergency services. This does not collect child data.

  Children vary in development, communication, and comfort, so adults should adapt and supervise this activity. This content has not undergone specialized child-safety expert review, and true body-boundary content (private body parts, unwanted touch) remains a deferred, separate topic.

• Water Buddy

  Informed by CDC drowning-prevention data, American Red Cross water-safety guidelines, and AAP/HealthyChildren.org guidance, at a high level.

  Before you start: Water Buddy

  Adult-facing governance draft only. Not a child-facing lesson screen.

  Water Buddy (Ages 3–4) — adult-facing pre-lesson summary

  Water Safety (Ages 3–4) is adult-led practice, not child-guided independently — an adult facilitates the activity throughout. It introduces stopping and asking a grown-up before going near any water, never reaching into water alone, wearing a life jacket a grown-up buckles, staying close and connected near lakes and paths, and telling a grown-up right away instead of going in the water if someone needs help.

  Children this age are not expected to judge water depth or danger, rescue anyone, or supervise themselves near water in any way. This activity is practice-only and is not a test or proof of mastery.

  Adults remain responsible for constant, active supervision near any water, life jacket fitting and use, pool barriers and door alarms, and any real water rescue or emergency response.

  The activity does not teach swimming, rescue, or CPR, does not simulate a real water emergency, and does not contact emergency services. This does not collect child data.

  Children vary in development, communication, and comfort, so adults should adapt and supervise this activity. This content has not undergone specialized water-safety or pediatric expert review.

• Animal Buddy

  Informed by CDC injury-prevention guidance, American Veterinary Medical Association safe-interaction guidance, American Red Cross family safety guidance, and the Humane Society's animal-control public education, at a high level.

  Before you start: Animal Buddy

  Adult-facing governance draft only. Not a child-facing lesson screen.

  Animal Buddy (Ages 3–4) — adult-facing pre-lesson summary

  Animal Safety (Ages 3–4) is adult-guided practice for caregivers, teachers, or facilitators. It introduces asking a grown-up before petting any animal, standing still like a tree with arms folded if an unknown dog approaches, and leaving eating or sleeping animals alone.

  Children this age are not expected to judge which animals are safe to approach, read animal body language, or manage a real animal encounter independently. This activity is practice-only and is not a test or proof of mastery.

  Adults remain responsible for supervising any interaction with animals, deciding whether an animal is safe to approach, and handling any real animal encounter, bite, or injury.

  The activity does not teach animal first aid or rescue, does not simulate a real animal attack, and does not contact emergency or animal-control services. This does not collect child data.

  Children vary in development, communication, and comfort, so adults should adapt and supervise this activity. This content has not undergone specialized child-safety expert review.

• Weather Buddy

  Informed by FEMA Ready.gov/Ready Kids guidance, American Red Cross emergency-preparedness guidance, NOAA National Weather Service safety guidance, and CDC preparedness guidance, at a high level.

  Before you start: Weather Buddy

  Adult-facing governance draft only. Not a child-facing lesson screen.

  Weather Buddy (Ages 3–4) — adult-facing pre-lesson summary

  Weather Safety (Ages 3–4) is adult-guided practice for caregivers, teachers, or facilitators. It introduces staying with a grown-up and going to a safe spot right away when weather is scary or loud, staying back from windows, and calmly telling a grown-up how they feel.

  Children this age are not expected to judge storm severity, choose a safe location on their own, or manage a real severe-weather event independently. This activity is practice-only and is not a test or proof of mastery.

  Adults remain responsible for identifying the household or classroom's real safe spot in advance, monitoring real weather alerts, and leading any real emergency response.

  The activity does not teach weather forecasting or emergency response, does not simulate a real severe-weather event, and does not contact emergency services. This does not collect child data.

  Children vary in development, communication, and comfort, so adults should adapt and supervise this activity. This content has not undergone specialized child-safety expert review.

• Travel Buddy

  Informed by NHTSA child-passenger, school-bus, bicycle, and pedestrian safety guidance, Safe Kids Worldwide and National Safety Council transportation guidance, CPSC bicycle-helmet guidance, and AAP/HealthyChildren.org guidance, at a high level.

• Street Buddy

  Informed by NHTSA child-pedestrian and crossing guidance, Safe Kids Worldwide pedestrian-injury-prevention guidance, American Red Cross street-crossing guidance, and NAEYC developmentally appropriate practice, at a high level.

• Playground Buddy

  Informed by CPSC's Public Playground Safety Handbook (Publication 325), AAP/HealthyChildren.org playground guidance, the National Program for Playground Safety's S.A.F.E. framework, Nemours KidsHealth playground guidance, and CDC playground-injury data, at a high level.