In 2001, more than 22,000 children were reported missing in the state of New York with some 1,220 from Nassau County alone. By the end of the year, nearly half of the state's total number of missing children were either recovered or had returned home on their own accord. In Nassau, however, 91 cases of missing children filed last year have still not been solved.

According to experts, the rapid distribution of a child's information is the key element for a safe and quick return. Fortunately, there are organizations working together to provide parents with the resources to protect their children. And on Saturday, May 25 - National Missing Children's Day which was established 11 years ago - parents are encouraged to go to The Mall at The Source for a complimentary fingerprint ID clinic sponsored by MetLife and the F.G. Zachry Financial Group. Officers from the New York City Police Department will be on hand to have the children professionally fingerprinted.

"We'll also be partnering with Motophoto to provide parents with digital photos of their children," said Jeff Maitland, a representative of MetLife. "In addition, we will distributing a free software program called the Kid's Owner's Manual which provides parents with a useful home organizer that stores child safety information, child ID software and family medical information all on one disk."

The program is made available through a collaboration with Managing Information on Lost Kids (MILK), an internationally distributed software program sponsored by MetLife, Motophoto, Image Concepts, Sony and MSN. The program was designed to protect, educate and organize families concerning child safety and Internet safety issues and acts as a virtual filing cabinet for the storage of visual and narrative details, including pictures, personal information and fingerprints, that may be used to identify a child in the event he or she is missing. Photos can be imported from a digital camera, a scanner or a roll of film that has been converted to disk. Parents can download a free copy of the program by logging on to www.home-organizer.com.

Storing information on their computer allows parents access to such vital information with the click of a button, rather than having to search for that information, losing valuable time, in the event of an emergency. "Rapidly distributing a child's picture can be the difference between a fast recovery and a prolonged search," states the MILK website. "Technology aids law enforcement during the most crucial time in the search for a missing child - the first few hours immediately following a child's disappearance."

Through a link to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), information stored in MILK can be easily accessed and e-mailed or faxed to over 17,600 police stations within five minutes. Additionally, the program provides a direct link to the CyberTipline, an online site designed for reporting occurrences of child endangerment and pornography on the Internet.

"When parents take the time to professionally fingerprint their children, those prints become invaluable to law enforcement agencies if the child is ever reported missing," said Julia Cartwright, director of public relations for the NCMEC. "Hopefully, you'll never have to use them, but, like a fire extinguisher in your home, they're important resources to have just in case."

"Sometimes the unimaginable can occur," said Maitland. "Taking the proper precautions enables parents to have the right resources to pass on to law enforcement to find their child. The more awareness and involvement of parents, the better it is." He added that parents should also keep a lock of their child's hair for DNA purposes as well as take a new digital photo each year so that an updated image is on file.

In addition to MILK, Child Shield, U.S.A. - a national organization established in 1990 - is dedicated to the prevention and recovery of lost, missing, abducted and runaway children throughout America. In keeping with its goal, Child Shield distributes child safety kits, an easy to follow educational program designed to empower parents and children with important knowledge that can help to prevent tragedy. In addition, the education part of the Child Shield service includes the "Safety Seven" poster and a "Play it Safe" coloring and activity book. These proactive materials provide ongoing reinforcement and help children to retain the important safety information they've learned.

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, over 2,000 children are reported missing each day and the Vanished Children's Alliance reports that every 40 seconds another child is missing or abducted. Unfortunately, far too many American parents have an "it can't happen to my kid" attitude, which may be one of the major contributors to this national crisis.

"We are not doing our children any favors by pretending that these things don't happen," said Robin Raskob, owner of the Pennsylvania-based Child Shield, U.S.A. "By keeping our children ignorant of these dangers, we are also keeping vulnerable. To educate them is to empower them."

Like MILK, Child Shield provides parents and law enforcement agencies with a "one stop source" for invaluable assistance in disseminating information about a missing child and aid in the recovery effort. Child Shield is prepared to act immediately upon a child's disappearance by lending both local and far-reaching help to the child's family and to the police agency handling the investigation.

Scott Steinhardt, spokesperson for the New York State Department of Criminal Justice - the agency responsible for handling reporting cases of missing children, said all mediums of support are helpful. "Any tool that can protect a child, assist a family is a useful one," he said. "It is something that, God forbid something happens to your child, can be handed over to law enforcement. The key tool [for quick recovery] is to keep law enforcement working together."

Within a minute of being notified of the disappearance of a registered child, Child Shield can contact the investigating police department; send identification videotapes and posters of the missing child to the hundreds of law enforcement agencies, missing children's organizations and clearinghouses across America; and notify the production departments of nationally-syndicated and network television talk shows and news programs and the FBI. Child Shield will also send videotapes and posters to any additional destinations requested by the investigating authorities.

All efforts by Child Shield are at no cost to the family or the police. The cost of the safety kit is $59.95, and includes the obtaining of a DNA sample and fingerprints. All kits are good for two years.

For $30 a year, less than you would spend to go out to dinner, you can keep your child safe," said Tina Alfano of Long Island's Keep-Our-Child-Safe.com, a local division of Child Shield. "Within a minute everyone across the country knows about your kids. That's real empowerment to keep your child safe." She added that updating the kits every two years is essential since a child's appearance changes as does his fingerprints when growing.

John Raskob, owner of Child Shield, said purchasing safety kits is essential for the safety of one's child. "We have 10 years of proof that a child registered with us is not going to turn up missing," he said. "According to NCMEC, there is a one in 42 chance your child will turn up missing in the next year. We've marketed over one million kits and, to date, have only had one child turn up missing."

In addition, Child Shield will also offer a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for abducting a child registered with the Child Shield system.

"By putting up the reward immediately, we think there are going to be people who stand up and take notice who normally wouldn't," said Raskob.

Alfano agreed, saying, "The idea is to entice someone who wouldn't normally call to tell us that they saw something. Unfortunately, too many people don't get involved."

New York City Police Officers will take children's photographs and fingerprints in the Center Court of The Mall at The Source on Saturday, May 25 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. for free.

The Mall at The Source is located at 1504 Old Country Road in Westbury. For additional information, call the mall's management office at 228-2100 or visit www.shopsimon.com. Parents who are unable to attend the clinic, but are interested in receiving a kit or the Kid's Owner Manual call Jeff Maitland at (631) 391-2668.

Additional information on child safety precautions is also available in the department's brochure "All About Me." A copy of the brochure is available at www.criminaljustice.state.ny.us.