Head Start students learn body safety

Sherald and Verla Bonnell Family Educational Fund helps K-IRPC teach body safety 

From “No thank you” to “Leave me alone,” a K-IRPC Head Start guest taught children ages 3-5 how to say "no" in a session last spring.  

Thanks to a grant from the Sherald and Verla Bonnell Family Educational Fund at the Community Foundation of Pulaski County, K-IRPC was able to bring retired Indiana State Police Sergeant Terry Hall to the preschool to speak on the issue of body safety.

He spoke to 26 of the 38 students who attend the preschool, along with 17 parents and eight staff members. 

Sgt. Hall, a 28-year veteran of the state police, now works with the Public Agency Training Council and is a certified instructor for the State of Indiana. During his 10-year involvement in child abuse investigation, he has trained more than 10,000 local, state, and federal level prosecutors, judges, and law enforcement officers on the subject.

Hall explained to children the difference between appropriate and inappropriate touch and taught them how to say no. He also recommended ways for parents and teachers to continue teaching them on their own. He encouraged parents to teach children to use proper terms for body parts rather than nicknames, and briefed the adults on statistics on child molestation. 

Regarding body safety, Hall says that even when talked about every month, it can still take three years for a child to realize that his or her body is private. With this in mind, the preschool plans to begin this discussion at the opening of the 2015 school year and continue to stress its importance throughout the year.

For more information on types of endowment funds and how you can create or contribute to one, contact the Community Foundation of Pulaski County at 127 E. Pearl St. Winamac; 574-946-0906; or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..