By Lynne Little, Ed.D.
Christian Educator ǀ Curriculum Specialist ǀ Co-Author, Safeguards for Schools: Equipping Kids with Safety Skills
“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” — Proverbs 22:6
In today’s world, it’s no longer enough to train just the adults in the room.
Yes, many Christian schools, churches, and ministries have taken steps to educate leaders, staff, and volunteers on abuse prevention, and that is commendable. But the enemy doesn’t stop at the check-in door. Social media, gaming platforms, and streaming services have opened backdoor access to our children like never before in history. Predators and harmful ideologies are targeting children directly, often in private, customized, and deceptive ways.
We’ve equipped the gatekeepers. Now it’s time to equip the children.
That’s the heartbeat of Safeguards for Schools, a six-unit, K–5 abuse awareness and prevention curriculum built on Scripture and designed for use across the Christian community, schools, churches, co-ops, and homes.
A Curriculum for Classrooms, Churches, and Families
While Safeguards for Schools was initially developed with Christian classrooms in mind, its flexible structure makes it ideal for a wide variety of ministry and family settings.
Children’s ministries can use the lessons in Sunday school, children’s church, or midweek programs. Christian co-ops and hybrid models will appreciate the clear structure and biblical integration. Homeschool families can access an abridged version that offers a high-level overview of the initial three units with clear objectives and discussion prompts to guide gospel-centered conversations at home.
This curriculum fits wherever children are being discipled.
One of the most valuable companion tools for families, whether they homeschool or simply want to reinforce what’s taught at church or school, is the book Safeguards: Shielding Our Homes and Equipping Our Kids, written by counselor, Julie Lowe. Her book is an ideal parenting resource for learning alongside your children. In fact, Julie’s biblical framework laid much of the foundational structure for the Safeguards for Schools curriculum, and she co-authored the program through the creation of the Parent Pages found in every unit, ensuring that classroom instruction flows seamlessly into the home.
A Cultural Crisis Demands a Discipleship Response
We live in a culture that is no longer passively drifting from Christian values, it is aggressively opposing them.
Children today face unprecedented exposure to harmful messages, behaviors, and individuals, often without leaving their homes. Streaming platforms normalize confusion. Online games connect kids to strangers. Social media blurs healthy boundaries and elevates oversharing. Grooming doesn’t just happen in person anymore, it happens in direct messages, gaming chats, and anonymous forums.
“For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” — Proverbs 2:6
“Let the wise listen and add to their learning and let the discerning get guidance.” — Proverbs 1:5
“Solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” — Hebrews 5:14
This is not about fear, it’s about formation. Safeguards for Schools helps children grow in biblical discernment and equips them with tools to:
- Recognize unsafe behavior
- Use their voice with wisdom and confidence
- Identify multiple trusted adults
- Evaluate actions, boundaries, and motives through God’s Word
- Understand their worth as image-bearers of Christ
Practical Support from ECAP
The Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention (ECAP) is an essential ally in the work of protecting children in Christian environments. ECAP provides standards, resources, and training to help Christian organizations, schools, ministries, and churches, create safer environments for children and youth.
Their mission is clear: to support abuse prevention through biblical guidance, practical tools, and institutional accountability. ECAP also offers a readiness checklist, organizational accreditation, and response plan guidance for ministries seeking to improve or assess their current protocols. ECAP’s partnership helps schools and churches not only meet legal expectations, but build a proactive, gospel-driven culture of safety.
Safeguards for Schools aligns with ECAP’s vision by providing a practical, biblically grounded curriculum that fulfills prevention mandates while cultivating wisdom and discernment in students.
Complies with State Requirements Without Compromise
Many states now require that students receive instruction in abuse awareness and prevention. This creates pressure for schools and ministries to adopt resources that may not align with their beliefs.
Safeguards for Schools is the solution:
- Satisfies state mandates
- Built on a biblical worldview
- Emotionally safe and developmentally appropriate
- Easy to implement, no special training required
- Protects childhood innocence and theological integrity
Biblical, Practical, and Parent-Friendly
This is not a sex education curriculum. Safeguards for Schools does not introduce explicit anatomy, gender ideology, or any form of content that undermines Christian conviction or betrays childhood innocence. Instead, it offers:
- Story-based instruction for grades K–2 and 3–5 learners
- Clear teacher and leader scripts
- Interactive role-playing and guided reflection
- Developmentally-appropriate academic exercises and engagement activities
- Parent Pages that extend the conversation into the home
Whether taught in a Bible class, children’s ministry, or homeschool day, every lesson is designed to reinforce biblical truth and provide safe, age-appropriate instruction.
How to Get Started
If you’re a parent, pastor, educator, or ministry leader, here’s how to bring Safeguards for Schools: Equipping Kids with Safety Skills into your community:
- Visit www.newgrowthpress.com to preview content and examples
- Purchase and Download the homeschool or parent version for use at home
- Recommend Julie Lowe’s book Safeguards to parents as a trusted companion guide
- Schedule a curriculum preview for your school or church staff
- Use ECAP’s free safety checklists to assess your organization’s readiness – www.ecap.net
“All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.” — Isaiah 54:13
Now Is the Time
We’ve spent time and resources training the adults. But now we must train the children, not with fear, but with faith, truth, and practical wisdom.
The world is loud. But wisdom can be louder. Let’s raise a generation of children who are not only protected by the adults around them, but equipped by the Word within them.
Let’s start now!
