PARENTS NEED TO BE MORE AWARD OF CHILDREN'S PLAY IN SUMMER

The statistics are nothing short of alarming.

Each year since 1985, except for the slightest of drops in 1992, the number of missing children in Missouri steadily has increased.

From January to April of this year, 29 Missouri children were abducted and had become victims of violence. In the city of Cape Girardeau, 57 children were reported missing in April.

Most were runaways and others were victims of parental abductions. But two of the cases were carried into May.

Cape Girardeau County Sheriff John Jordan issued a news release recently, warning parents to take special steps to protect their children. School is out, warm weather in, and children will be spending more time outdoors and without supervision.

Every year, area law enforcement agencies receive calls about children who have been left unattended or with little supervision. Their parents were playing a dangerous game.

"Times have changed. People have changed," Jordan said. "We live in a mobile society where people drive around looking for victims. Children are out playing, and people are good at scams to lure them into the car."

Many children become victims of molestation. Some, like Gina Dawn Brooks, never are heard from again. She was abducted on Aug. 5, 1989, in Fredericktown.

Jordan stressed that parents should know their children's whereabouts at all times, maintaining visual contact if the children are very young. If not, they should be sure their children don't play alone and know to stay away from strangers.

Summer presents another problem for working moms and dads. Often, school serves as a baby sitter until they get off work. In the summer, they must look into day-care centers.

A quick way to find openings is to call Child Care Aware at 1-800-424-2246, a toll-free hotline set up by the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies. An operator there will let parents know who to call in their hometowns.

Once a potential day-care center is found, parents can turn to the Bureau of Child Care for help. Located in the Division of Family Services building in Cape Girardeau, the bureau offers advice on how to evaluate a child-care program.

Parents may also pick up a checklist, which asks if the child's caregiver is warm and friendly and joins in activities with children. If parents notice that there is little supervision and the building is unsafe, they should head somewhere else.

If the bureau receives a complaint on a child-care facility, it is typed up and placed in the facility's file. The files are open to the public. All parents have to do is make an appointment with the bureau.

The number is (314) 290-5800.