“Can Do” Street Parent/Teacher Blog is pleased to feature a post by Lynn Harrison McLachlan about Kid-Safe Productions  and its founder Tricia Myles

These days, every school and parent council faces the same dilemma: How do you stretch limited dollars to support the necessary curriculum, promote children’s well-being, and provide all-important exposure to the arts entertainment world? While every school comes up with its own solutions, many elementary schools in Toronto, Canada are discovering Kid-Safe Productions: a North American edu-tainment company that offers a smart choice for their budgets.

Kid-Safe Productions was founded in 2000 by Tricia Myles, an experienced entertainer with an extensive background in both musical theatre and children’s well-being. After working for many years in children’s social services, she returned to performance after her son was born, deciding to use her unique artistic skills to further promote children’s well-being. Her first play, called “Bugs, Bubbles and Blobs,” helped kids stay safe by defining personal boundaries. Then, after talking to teachers, she knew what her next project should be.

“Again and again, schools asked us for an educational show that would focus on Bullying Awareness and Prevention,” Myles remembers. “And as a parent, of course I was very concerned about this issue.”

Continuing to reach out to children through the medium of musical plays, Kid-Safe Productions’ responded to these requests with its up-beat and brightly colorful show about a bullied frog entitled “Stop, That’s Bullying!”

Kid-Safe Productions relies on a supportive team of consultants including social workers, teachers and principals, therapists and  psychologists. The experts agree that, when it comes to bringing an important message home to children, live music and drama have been proven to have more impact than videos or other recorded media. Kid-Safe Productions also provides a resource guide for teachers with each play, and a coloring book for every student.

Kid-Safe Productions even consulted with internationally-recognized parenting expert Barbara Coloroso, who strongly supported the “Stop, That’s Bullying!” message and the way it’s presented.

“The arts allow you to step outside yourself and take on a different role,” said Coloroso. “Fiction can work so well by teaching a lesson with- out being preachy and the kids walk away and remember it too.”

Today, “Stop, That’s Bullying!” has been presented at hundreds of schools across Ontario, with more performances to come. Children, educators, and parents have enthusiastically endorsed the “Stop, That’s Bullying” message, which encourages children to act as advocates for their peers instead of choosing to be passive bystanders.

“Our kids talked about it for weeks afterwards and they got the message!” says Richard Laliberte, a school principal in the Ottawa region. “This play is an absolute must for any school wanting to deal with bullying head-on!”

Kid-Safe has since added new programs to its repertoire such as dramatic workshops for individual classes and a new play that promotes healthy character building initiatives. “How Amazing We Can Be” is energetic and fun, and immediately popular with children and teachers alike. Grade four teacher S. Shiffito writes, “I most enjoyed seeing the important messages of helping, kindness, forgiveness, learning, and more.”

“Even though we deal with serious subjects, we believe that entertainment value is number one,” says Myles. “We put on shows that kids really enjoy at a price schools can afford.”

Competitively priced, Kid- Safe Productions’ shows represent excellent value with individual costs from as low as $2.50 per child – that’s lower than the price of a movie and with no transportation costs. Yup! Kid-Safe Productions is curriculum-based edu-tainment delivered directly to your school’s door. They also offer fundraising solutions to assist schools or parent councils with meeting their goals. At this time, most Kid-Safe performances take place in the Toronto, Canada area, however, bookings are being arranged all over North America.

“We feel that Kid-Safe Productions is making a real and meaningful difference in the lives of young people,” says Joyann Callender of Kids Help Phone, Ontario Division. It’s a message echoed through the gymnasiums of more and more North American schools.

For more information, please visit the Kid-Safe Productions Web site at www.kidsafeproductions.com.