At Preval, safety always comes first! With Halloween and Trick or Treating in just a couple of days, we thought it would be a good idea to share some safety tips for a fun Halloween! Whether, you're a kid going around the neighborhood for treats, or a teen or adult going to a spooky Halloween party, it's always better to be safe than sorry!

• Flashlights and reflective strips are not our enemies! They can be benificial when crossing streets when it starts to get dark out. With all of the dark costumes worn on Halloween, reflective strips and flashlights are our friends! Be sure to show your children know how to cross a street properly. They should always look both ways before crossing the street and should only cross at corners or crosswalks.
• Make sure that if you have more than one child, they know to take the hand of the younger child when they cross a street.
• If your child is wearing a mask, make sure that the eye holes are big enough to see not only in front but peripherally as well. You may have to cut them open further yourself. If so, use some black or gray grease paint around the eye socket to cover skin like the super heros do!
• As bad as it sounds, this is just a fact of life now. Get on the internet and check your local state website for sex offenders. Almost every state has one, just do a search for your state sex offender site. Look up your zip code and it should have a list of registered offenders in your area that includes street addresses. Make sure that your kids stay away from these houses!
• Know the route your kids will be taking if you aren't going with them. Let them know that they are to check in with you every hour, by phone or by stopping back at home. Make sure that they know not to deviate from the planned route so that you always know where they will be.
• Know what other activities a child may be attending, such as parties, school or mall functions. If they are going to be at a friends home, get the phone number and make sure that you've met the parents.
• Make sure you set a time that your kids should be home by. Make sure they know how important it is for them to be home on time or to call immediately if something happens and they are going to be delayed.
• Teach your kids about not getting into strangers cars or talking to strangers, no matter what the person says to them. Explain to them as simply as you can that some adults are bad and want to hurt children, that they should never go into a house that they don't know, get into a car or go anywhere with a stranger. Also, tell them what to do should this happen, to scream as loud as they can to draw attention and to run away as fast as they can to someplace safe.
• Of course, a very important tip is to HAVE A BLAST! From all of us at Prevel, have a SAFE and Happy Halloween weekend!