SANTA ANA, Calif., June 7, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Web Wise Kids, with a grant from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) Foundation and the help of the Department of Consumer Affairs, will be providing valuable Internet safety materials to approximately 600 students at the Citrus Heights Elementary School near Sacramento, CA. The school asked the California Coalition for Children's Internet Safety to provide Internet safety education for their students over summer break. With summer approaching and kids spending more time unsupervised, the need to protect them from online dangers is critical.
Web Wise Kids specializes in innovative programs that make youth their own first line of defense. Age appropriate Internet safety activity packets will be provided for all students with those 11 and older receiving the MISSING game, the flagship program of Web Wise Kids, that has reached millions of youth across the country. This interactive computer game puts players in the role of a detective and the goal is to find Zack, a boy who spent hours in chat rooms and then disappeared.
"June is Internet Safety Month, and we are pleased to be part of a program that will help kids recognize the warning signs of danger in the digital age. We look forward to helping Web Wise Kids protect children and seeing online predators brought to justice," said Michael D. Gallagher, president of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the trade association representing U.S. computer and video game publishers. "Games can be powerful teaching tools and we are honored to support projects like this that use games to teach, educate, and prepare kids to succeed in the real world game of life."
In addition, parents will have access to a one of a kind e-learning program called Wired With Wisdom. They will be able to download valuable information to assist them in protecting themselves and their tech savvy kids online.
"We believe 'Wisdom Begins With You' and we are pleased to send the students of Citrus Heights Elementary home with the tools they need to have a safe and rewarding online experience over the summer," said Judi Westberg Warren, president of Web Wise Kids.
"The California Department of Consumer Affairs is proud to be part of this effort," said Nanette Madsen, Deputy Director for External Affairs at the Department of Consumer Affairs. "Web Wise Kids and the Entertainment Software Association Foundation pulled out all the stops to make this happen. It really shows what this partnership can do."
About Web Wise Kids
Web Wise Kids (WWK), established in 2000, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that receives partial funding from the U.S. Congress through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs. WWK is dedicated to empowering today's youth to make wise choices online and specializes in providing easy to use, school-approved Internet safety education for youth ages 11 to 16. Today's e-generation is taught valuable lessons in their own medium using computer games with high tech simulations based on real life criminal cases. For more information about Web Wise Kids please visit www.webwisekids.org.
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About ESA Foundation
The ESA Foundation was created by the American interactive entertainment software industry to support and provide opportunities that can make a difference in the lives of America's youth. The Foundation is fully supported by proceeds from "A Nite to Unite for Kids," its annual fund-raiser that has raised more than more than $6.7 million in the last six years. The Foundation provided grants to support: Boys and Girls Clubs of America; Delinquency Prevention Initiative-Year three, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Web Wise Kids, Just Think Foundation, YouthVision Challenge, Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) project, the expansion of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland Computer Learning Center, Starlight Starbright Foundation, PAX, Inc, Association of Hole in the Wall Camps and Work Achievement, Values and Education (WAVE). For more information, please visit www.theESA.com/foundation.