Fifth graders at Stratford Avenue School learned about acting responsibly online through Child Abuse Prevention Services (CAPS) new Internet safety program, cyberSMARTZ. CAPS is Long Island’s leading organization dedicated to preventing child abuse and neglect, and provides violence prevention and child safety education in Nassau and Suffolk schools at no cost.

Every child who uses the Internet needs guidance and education to learn how to safely manage their online activities,” said Alane Fagin, Executive Director of CAPS. “The Stratford Ave School deserves credit for taking this step to help keep every child safe from harm.”

A professionally-trained CAPS volunteer facilitated cyberSMARTZ in the students’ classroom the week of January 18th. The one-session, multi-media workshop focused on fostering safe, responsible behavior while managing the Internet and other digital technologies.

Thanks to a grant from the Verizon Foundation, CAPS provides its prevention-through-education programs to Long Island public and private schools at no cost. To date, over 600,000 Long Island students have participated in CAPS education workshops.

“CAPS relies on our dedicated corps of volunteers to present these student programs,” said Ms. Fagin, “but the growing demand by Long Island schools also means a greater need for additional volunteers to join our organization. In fact just this past semester, CAPS was asked to present in more than 1,500 classrooms to over 37,000 students, grades K-12, so we encourage people who have an interest in working with children to learn more about volunteering for CAPS.”

Founded in 1982, the Roslyn-based Child Abuse Prevention Services is dedicated to the prevention of child abuse, bullying, peer harassment and Internet safety. It is a non-profit underwritten by private donations, grants and legislative appropriations. Information about programs, educational materials and volunteer opportunities are available at www.capsli.org or by calling 516-621-0552 or 631-289-3240.