A lot of families go to great lengths to choose the ideal home for them to raise their family in. They not only look for the right number of bedrooms and a nice yard for the kids to play in, but they also look in areas with good schools and that offer a good amount of safety. That said, there might be a few hazards that are unseen at first glance. Here’s a quick look at some tips that will help you in your search for a safe neighborhood.
Social Media and Tech
One danger you might have on your mind that you want to protect your kids from is racism. Check on the internet and on social media sites such as Nextdoor. They don’t only promote anti-racism out in the world, but they also have their own Nextdoor racism prevention community guidelines for their site. This sets an example for what you can do in your own community in order to deal with and get a handle on racism.
Cul-de-sacs
Dead end streets such as cul-de-sacs are actually much safer for kids. If you want to make the first move with your kids positive, but also the aftermath, try finding a house on a cul-de-sac to move into. On these streets stray traffic is quite rare, which makes playing in the street safer for them. Also, without there being a through street, there isn’t any reason for random people to be driving through, so the danger from strangers in the area is also lower. Finally, it makes it easier for you to become acquainted with all of the neighbors and then to form a local community – the kind where each person looks out for everyone else.
Crime Rates
Have you ever heard older people say, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?” This saying is certainly true in this instance. You can find quite a few tools online that will be able to provide you with some of the crime related statistics for neighborhoods all over the country. Another good one is City Data. Most of the time, this information is free and you’ll be able to view the annual crime rates as well as links to forum posts and news articles.
Sex Offenders
Yes, everyone might deserve a second chance, but does it really need to be around your child? Before buying a new home for your family. Find out how to find sex offenders in the area. Some of the sites where you can do this will go beyond letting you see what their offense was, but it will also show you a picture of them, so you know exactly who to look out for.
Neighborhood Watch
This might sound a bit campy, but it’s actually one of the best methods of ensuring that all of the children in the area are safe. Most of the time, simply having postcards or stickers in the windows of the homes will be enough to keep various criminals away. That said, it also couldn’t hurt to have the stay-at-home parents in the area keeping their eyes peeled too. Also, when children know which houses they can safely go to in the event of a crisis, their chances of being harmed are vastly decreased.
Finally, don’t just allow the kids to run around willy-nilly on the lookout for things to do. Supervise each of their activities so that they’re always behaving in a manner that’s safe. Also always ensure that there’s a responsible adult on hand to deal with any issues that might be a threat to their safety.
