The National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) has teamed up with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) to pursue projects that highlight the importance of child safety, with a focus on student transportation safety.

“We look forward to partnering with the dedicated staff at NCMEC in a variety of ways to advance the important messages that will help enhance the safety of our nation’s children,” NAPT Executive Director Mike Martin said.

According to NCMEC, an estimated 800,000 children are reported missing each year — more than 2,000 children every day. The national Take 25 public awareness campaign asks parents to take 25 minutes sometime during the month of May to talk to their children about safety and abduction prevention. The campaign began on May 1 and continues through National Missing Children’s Day on May 25.

The focus of Take 25 is on prevention. Those holding events in communities throughout the country are provided with free safety resources, including safety tips, conversation starters and engaging activities.

NAPT is encouraging its members to utilize the resources available from NCMEC to help keep children safe. School transportation safety tips to share with parents include:

• Walk the route to and from school with your children, pointing out landmarks and safe places to go if they’re being followed or need help. If your children ride a bus, visit the bus stop with them to make sure they know which bus to take.

• Remind kids to take a friend whenever they walk or bike to school. Remind them to stay with a group if they’re waiting at the bus stop.

• Caution children to never accept a ride from anyone unless you have told them it is OK to do so in each instance.

For more tips, go to www.take25.org.