Block Parent Program

Last updated
Block Parent Program
TypeChild safety organization based in Canada
Legal statusActive
PurposeAdvocate and public voice, educator and network
Headquarters Barrie, Ontario, Canada
Official language
English, French
Website

The Block Parent Program(French: Le Programme Parents-Secours) is a large, volunteer-based, child safety and crime prevention program operating across Canada. Participants in the program (Block Parents) place signs on their homes indicating that the house is a police-screened, safe home for community members in distress, particularly children. If someone is in need of help and sees a block parent sign, they know there is someone home who can help them and call the appropriate emergency service if necessary.

Contents

The program, which included 300,000 participants in its heyday, is in decline. RCMP detachments in British Columbia and Prince Edward Island have abandoned the program, as have local police in major centres including Toronto and Ottawa. Participation declined from 253,000 homes in 1995 to approximately 25,000 in 2013. Factors in the decline include fewer parents at home (as more join the outside workforce), a greater reliance on mobile telephones or other communication technologies as an alternative to seeking assistance from neighbours, and more onerous police background checks in the post-9/11 era. [1]

History

The program began in London, Ontario in 1968. Independent programs began appearing across Canada until 1983 when a national committee was formed and the national Block Parents Program of Canada was created in 1986. The first school affiliated with the Block Parent program was Arthur Stringer Public School on Shaftesbury Avenue in London, Ont.

Block Parent programs happened in the United States as far back at the late 1960s. The three known locations were San Diego and San Jose, California and Boise, Idaho. The signs placed in windows at that time were orange or white square, approximately 12x12 inches, with a large black 'X'. Homeowners would place their signs on the window pane, leaning against their window, with the 'X' facing the street.

Local and regional decline

Some provinces and communities are discontinuing or proposing to discontinue the Block Parent program, for various reasons. Occasionally, regional programs have been revived after shutting down. [2]

See also

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References

  1. McGinn, Dave (28 October 2013). "How the 21st century put the Block Parent program into decline". Theglobeandmail.com. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  2. "Block Parent program returning to Durham". The Post. 2009-11-06. Archived from the original on 2013-01-01.
  3. "Block Parent signs disappearing". CBC News. 2005-03-23. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  4. "P.E.I. Block Parents shut down". CBC News. 2006-11-15. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  5. "Block Parent may close doors". Cambridge Times. Jan 29, 2009. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  6. "New kids on the block again". Cambridge Times. May 14, 2009. Retrieved 4 September 2015.