The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, along with Duracell, have created a useful online handbook about talking to your children about staying safe.

Many parents do not realize that the old “stranger danger” programs of yesteryear are not so effective in raising children’s awareness about the most common dangerous situations.  The “Power of Parents” online guide has a free downloadable book to read to your kids and teaching moment guidelines by age group.

According to recent data from NCMEC, most abduction attempts occur after-school, between the hours of 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Almost half of non-family abduction attempts happen when a child is walking to or from school or a related school activity. NCMEC also found that the overwhelming majority of children affected by abduction attempts are young girls (74 percent) between the ages of 10 and 14 years old.

You can check out the handbook at: www.powerofparentsonline.com.