Florida launches optional child ID program for parents

(The Center Square) – Florida has launched a new Child ID program and is distributing Child ID kits to all Florida school districts for parents of kindergarteners, Attorney General Ashley Moody announced.

The kits are designed to help parents in an emergency and are to be kept at home by parents or guardians who want them. No government or law enforcement agency will keep the kits or the information in them. They are being distributed as a precautionary measure only to be used in an emergency with the hope that no parent or guardian will ever have to use them.

The ID kits include identification cards that will include information about the physical characteristics of children, as well as photographs, fingerprints and DNA.

Moody made the announcement Friday with National Child ID Program Executive Director Kenny Hansmire, Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks, Florida Sheriffs Association President and Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis, and representatives from the Department of Education, Florida Association of District School Superintendents, and Florida Association of School Resource Officers.

“Child ID kits are a great, low-tech tool that helps parents record and safely store important identification information about their children,” Moody said. “Parents keep total control of the kits and, should an emergency arise, they can quickly present it to law enforcement. As a mother, I truly hope no parent ever needs to utilize the kit – but should a child go missing, it could prove vital in helping law enforcement and the public in their search.”

National Child ID Program Executive Director Kenny Hansmire said Florida launching the program “was the largest safety initiative in the state of Florida.”

The National Child Identification Program is a community service initiative “dedicated to reducing the number of missing children by providing parents and guardians with a tool they can use to help protect their children,” Hansmire said. If ever needed, the ID Kit provides authorities with quickly accessible vital information to help them locate a missing child.

“There is no such thing as being overprepared when it comes to the safety and wellbeing of our children,” Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis said. “With a child going missing every 40 seconds in America, we must all be ready for worst-case scenarios. God willing, law enforcement will never need to see your Child ID Kit, but the National Child Identification Program allows families to be proactive with their at-home kit in case of an emergency.”

According to the National Child Identification Program, more than 800,000 children go missing every year in America, one every 40 seconds. In Florida, there were more than 25,000 incidences of missing children reported to law enforcement agencies in 2021, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Florida will be distributing roughly 250,000 kits to all Florida school districts for parents whose kindergarteners attend public, private and charter schools.

With Florida’s initiative, the NCIP is now operating in 25 states. It works with federal, state and local leaders, coaches, athletes, faith-based organizations and major corporations to improve child safety. So far, it’s provided over 50 million ID kits nationwide, according to its website.