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Blkiek P Three months ago. Linda Paws! of Kitchener had never heard of the Block Parent Program. " Program starts 5% in Kitchener - {'2 Today. this young. active mother of iive children is chair- man of a committee that hopes to implement Block Parent Programs throughout Waterloo Region. ' Since February. the Block Parent steering committee she initiated has piled up an impressive list of accomplishments for a fledgling organization. It has received region-wide ap- proval for the prdgriam from the regional police commis- sion and the separate school board. The public school board has given permission for an experimental Block Parent Program to be run in the Kitchener subdivision of Forest Heights beginning this fall. Mrs. Paupst. (if 303 Westheights Dr.. credits her initial interest and involvement in the Block Parenr.Progi'arn to a story she read in the February 1976 issue of Homemakers' Magazine. "It was a really good article in great detail about the Lon- don. Ontario Block Parent Program...l thought it sounded like just a fantastic idea because I've got five children who are going out to clubs all the time, . . she said. The Homemakers" Magazine article described how the death of a nine-year-old London boy prompted the London section of the National Council of Jewish Women to set up the Block Parent Program 8 years ago. The program was modelled on a similar program used in the United States. By Mary Sup"! What is the Block Parent Program? In brief. it is a sys- tem of providing a safe refuge for children who are sick. hurt or in trouble away from home. Houses in neighbour- hoods are designated Block Parent homes and equipped with fluorescent red signs that depict a symbol of safety easily recognized by children. The symbol shows a smiling child walking in security holding the hand of an adult." . Block Parents are screened by the police department to make sure they are respectable. dependable people. When the Block Parent Sign is in the window of their home. they are required to provide help for children who are frightened by strangers. threatened by bullies or lost. The Block Par- ent does not have to let the child in his home. but must relay the child's request for help to the police department or his parents. _ . Block Parents also act as neighbourhood watchdogs. re- porting cases of suspicious strangers or potential child molesters to the police department. School education about the Block Parent Program for stu- dents is the cornergtone of the program. Beginning in Sep- tember. teachers at Meadowlane Public School. Southridge J?ublic School. St. Paul's Separate School and Forest Hills C Public school in the Forest Heights pilot area will embark on a program designed to show children how to use the Block Parent program. A necessary part of the Block Parent Program is coopera- tion between Block Parent organizations. schools and the police In Waterloo Region. a steering committee for the Block Parent Program has been set up with representation from parents. the police and the two school boards. Neigh- bourhood Block Parent Committees will be set up in each school area with representatives composedof teachers and parents. The children will be taughCthat Block Parent signs in windows in their neighbourhood mean a haven of safety if they feel in danger. Block Parents are required to provide help to children at any time of day or night if their Block Parent Sign is displayed in the window. Children will be taught not to use the Block Parent home for food, drink, transportation or toilet'l'acilities. ls i program like this really necessary in Waterloo Re- gion? Mrs. Paupst definitely 'hinks so. - ' “I doit think you have t wait until something drastic happens before you initiate the program. In London. the most common usage has been to dim ourage bullies." The program cah also'benefit elderly people who are lost or disoriented. In such cases. they can appeal for help at a home that displays a Block Parent sign. - Since the program IS so new to the K-W area. Mrs. Paupst spends much ol her time dealing with misconceptions about the program. For one thing. it definitely is not a babysitting svslem for children. she say; It provides a safety mechanism for children whose par- ents work or for children who don't know their neighbours. Mrs Paupsl emphasizes that Block Parent volunteers don't have to be parents or women who are home all day. "Even Working mothers can be Block Parents in the eve- nings. on weekends or hoquivs. .. i: I KIYCHKNEHWAYERLOO UMIYED Waterloo Kitchener ..rr, Wy ‘, _ l‘- "W _ c" _', stitjisitic,yibjaiii,Wr A"'ttt Ontario & Duke Sts. il ‘Elii'“§& ( “wig; Waterloo Square Fda' Mrs. Linda-Paupst. of 303 Westheights Dr.. Kitchener holds the sign that will be one to denote a Block Parent home in Forest Heights subdivision. Mrs. Paupst is spearheading a Block Parent Committee that hopes to organize Block Parent ptograms in Waterloo Region. _ s. N However. Mrs. Panpst‘s Block Parent Committee is channelling most of its energy at the present time into the Forest Heights pilot project which will begin in September: The police commission has ordered the special Block Par- ent signs from the Canadian Safety Council and they will be distributed in homes in the next few weeks. Many subdivisions throughout the region have expressed interest in establishing Block Patent programs in their neighbourhoods. Ire. Waterloo. Mrs. Paupst has received interested' inquiries from Lakeshore Village and Colonial Acres. _ Mrs. Paupst is currently drawing up Block Parent man- uals and teacher kits based on the London. Ontario pro- gram manuals. Public education programs in Forest Heights will begin in June so children and parents are fam- iliar with the program by September. The police commission has also agreed to screen poten- tial Block, Parents for the committee. has instructed its safety officers to discuss the program with region students and is also paying the cost of the signs. _ . She is concerned that the public and parents realize that the Block Parent Program is not really new or untried. It has been in operation in London for eight years and is also in operation in Edmonton, Ottawa, Buriiniton. Vancouver. Mississauga. Sault Ste. Marie and Guelph. / Mrs. Paupst is confident of the soccess of the Forest Heights pilot project and hopes similar programs can be installed throughout the region. 14 Princess St. stt 87876-2900 or BBS-2% LEAGUE BOWLING - OPENINGS Six Lanes wilt be available next In". on Wednesday awnings from 9:00, 1 , oo p m. WATERLOO BOWLING LAN ES -- A [33* I - . " _ ii, - P.' "3:5,? Mrri. 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