NJ Mom takes Kid's Safety into Her Own Hands

HACKENSACK, N.J. - June 20, 2014 - PRLog -- The 2^nd graders of the local Hackensack Elementary School were excited to show off their Certificates of Safety after a participating in a Kids Safety Awareness Program (KSAP) given by Ladies Lock and Load.Over the course of 2 days they were instructed in all aspects of safety – personal safety, safety in the home, elevator safety, school and playground safety, luring by adults, emergency disaster response and a topic that stirs emotions in many parents and teachers - what to do when you are in a place where someone has a gun.

Ladies Lock and Load started in conjunction with Stir and Shoot Training Academy at the Sussex County Fire Safety Academy as an instructional program for adult women “When we started we had women from all over New Jersey coming to learn gun safety. Many would bring their own guns,” Genesis Liu, founder of Ladies Lock and Load explained. “It started to dawn on me that these women had guns in their homes and that they and their children may not know the proper procedures for staying safe.”

The idea blossomed in to something vastly more comprehensive with the surge of school shootings and news reports of playground lurings. “I found that our children lacked basic safety knowledge,” Liu continued. “So I developed classes that start from the beginning and from a parent’s perspective – what every child should know to stay safe. The gun safety classes given by Ladies Lock and Load are a small optional portion now of a larger curriculum that focuses on everything from school emergency protocols to playground safety, bullying to poison safety, elevator safety to emergency response in black outs and storms. We teach children to be aware of their surroundings, empower them to pay attention to their inner alert system, to take the proper steps and find the right adult in unsafe situations. ”

The Kids Safety Awareness Program is available to private groups and school groups throughout New Jersey. There are also a la carte classes located in Hackensack, Bogota, Newton and throughout New Jersey. Genesis Liu is a certified, fully licensed and insured safety instructor.

“I was very impressed with both the intelligent content of the program and by the knowledge of the instructor,” Jennifer, a parent from Newton, NJ commented on the class. “This was not a program debating whether guns are good or bad. The sole purpose of the program was to teach kids how to be safe. I think programs such as this should be a staple curriculum in schools.”

There are a variety of Kids Safety Awareness Program classes coming up during the summer and fall in Bergen and Sussex counties and group and private sessions can be scheduled at www.ladieslockandload.com. Classes range from $10 - $25 per student and each child gets a “go bag” for emergencies which includes a headlight (so all hands are available), water bottles, wipes, snacks and other items needed in a black out or another emergency situation.