When it comes to a child’s safety, every parent could benefit from a little P.E.A.C.E of Mind. Parenting Education And Child Empowerment is a Bellevue-based, nonprofit organization formed in 2007 by Kim Estes and Sabrina Sessa, both certified agents through the National Security Alliance and completion of the Bellevue Police Department Citizens Academy.

As child-safety advocates, the two women have taken on a proactive role in raising awareness about prevention education for parents. They share a combined history of more than 16 years of involvement in nonprofit organizations dedicated to families and children. After several attempts at lobbying for changes to child safety laws they decided it was time for a more effective strategy.

“We decided that the best step at this point would be preventative education,” Estes explained, the director of education and outreach for the program. “We need to intervene before the bad happens because unfortunately, parents are not able to count on the laws 100 percent of the time.”

When the organization first launched, Estes was surprised to find a reluctance from parents surrounding the topic of child safety and prevention education. She faced the challenge of overcoming the stereotype that many parents associate with the topic.

She found that parents often think that it is enough to keep their kids within sight or to teach them “stranger danger,” a method that has been proven ineffective by law enforcement and child safety specialist. She explained that statistically it is more likely for a child to be kidnapped by someone they know then by a complete stranger.

In place of the “stranger danger” method, the organization focuses on the concept of “tricky people.” A tricky person can be someone you know, or someone you don’t know including, a kid, a grownup, sports coach, camp counselor or a teacher. The program teaches parents and children that a tricky person is anybody who gives you a bad feeling or acts in ways that don’t fit their “job” description.

Estes has found that children grasp this concept a lot faster and with more understanding then “stranger danger.” She recommends parents teach the safety tools as an ongoing discussion.

It’s a life skill that you need to teach them regularly, she said, adding that it should be done in a way similar to teaching them about potty training, riding a bike, buckling up, not smoking and not doing drugs. Those are all important life-skill discussions that you have with your kids and they’re ongoing- this is no different, she added.

The mini-summer workshops her and Sessa lead focus on boundaries and help parents get their kids ready for summer camps and sport teams.

“Ultimately, predators try to blur and cross the boundaries,” Estes said, who emphasizes open communication starting at an early age. “We try to educate parents on how to teach their kids to have a strong boundary so when someone tries to cross that line, no matter who they are, the kids will be able to spot it.”

In an effort to debunk the outdated and ineffective presentations about “stranger danger,” Estes and Sessa began looking to franchise and then teach an already existing parent education program. After some research, the two women were surprised to not find any in Washington that taught parents specific age-appropriate tools for child safety.

Looking elsewhere, they stumbled upon Safely Ever After, a California-based company that specializes in prevention education for parents. Founder and creator Pattie Fitzgerald donated part of her curriculum to build a foundation for P.E.A.C.E of Mind. From there, they were able to build a program that they really liked.

As a nonprofit, Estes and Sessa volunteer their time and energy doing presentations and workshops at schools, community events, churches, offices and more. For their efforts, the pair were awarded the Presidential Volunteer Service Award in Bronze, Silver and Gold for outstanding volunteer efforts, logging more than 2,000 hours of volunteer work in 2007 between the two of them. The program’s current funding comes from private donations and, according to Estes, hopefully will continue to grow with the support of grants and local corporate sponsorship.

“I think over time people have become convinced that it has to be this big scary conversation that you would have with your kids,” Estes explained. “We’ve flipped prevention education on its head and completely redone it.”

For more information or a list of upcoming events including the “Back to School Back to Safety” campaign scheduled for late August through September, visit www.pomwa.org.

Lindsay Larin can be reached at llarin@reporternewspapers.com or at 425-453-4603.