Tips to keep kids safe after school

In just a matter of days, students head back to class. And if you're a parent, you know how important it is to prepare.

Not just with school supplies but also keeping your kids safe after school.

Dr. Kim Giuliano is a pediatrician with Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital. She says one of the first things you can do is to come up with a code word when you are not the one picking your child up.

Dr. Giuliano says, “If you are going to arrange to have a neighbor pick a child up or somebody that the child may not know as well, it's a good idea to have a secret code word that only parents and children know and that way the child knows it's ok to go with that stranger, or even an adult that they know and just weren't anticipating them picking them up that day."     

Dr. Guiliano says to avoid writing your child's full name on the outside of their backpacks.

A stranger may use the information to get them alone.

If your children walk home from school, they should follow the same route every day.

This way, if they're not home on time, an adult can backtrack and look for them.

And, there should also be an action plan in place, in case the person who is expected to pick the child up does not make it.