Sexual Abuse Prevention Programs for Preschool Children: What do Parents Prefer? 1

Abstract

Using structured interviews, 21 parents of preschool children at a suburban day-care center were introduced to the problem of child sexual abuse and to three different techniques currently used in preventing it. Parental support for teaching preschool children personal safety skills was unanimous and the school-based videotaped role-play program, which explicitly demonstrates personal safety skills, was the first choice of 57% of the parents.