GTPD Community ALERT: School Bus Safety For Drivers and Pedestrians

Safety Starts at the Bus Stop

For Parents..

-Your child should arrive at the bus stop at least five minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive. Visit the bus stop and show your child where to wait for the bus: at least three giant steps (six feet) away from the curb. Remind your child that the bus stop is not a place to run or play.

Get On and Off Safely

When the school bus arrives, your child should wait until the bus comes to a complete stop, the door opens, and the driver says it’s okay before approaching the bus door.

Use Caution Around the Bus

Your child should never walk behind a school bus. If your child must cross the street in front of the bus, tell him/her to walk on a sidewalk or along the side of the street to a place at least five giant steps (10 feet) in front of the bus before crossing and look both ways before crossing. Your child should also make eye contact with the bus driver before crossing to make sure the driver can see him/her.

FOR DRIVERS…

Make school bus transportation safer for everyone by following these practices:

-When backing out of a driveway or leaving a garage, watch out for children walking or bicycling to school.

-When driving in neighborhoods with school zones, watch out for young people who may be thinking about getting to school, but may not be thinking of getting there safely.

-Slow down. Watch for children walking in the street, especially if there are no sidewalks in neighborhood.

-Watch for children playing and congregating near bus stops.

-Be alert. Children arriving late for the bus may dart into the street without looking for traffic.

-Learn and obey the school bus laws, as well as the \”flashing signal light system\” that school bus drivers use to alert motorists of pending actions:

-Yellow flashing lights indicate the bus is preparing to stop to load or unload children. Motorists should slow down and prepare to stop their vehicles.

-Red flashing lights and extended stop arms indicate the bus has stopped and children are getting on or off. Motorists must stop their cars and wait until the red lights stop flashing, the extended stop-arm is withdrawn, and the bus begins moving before they can start driving again.

Address/Location

Gloucester Township Police Department

1261 Chews Landing Rd

Gloucester Township, NJ 08021

Contact

Emergency: 9-1-1

Non-emergencies: 856-228-4500

Philadelphia\’s Financial Health Given Failing Grade

By Alan Krawitz |

The Center Square

The Philadelphia skyline. Sean Pavone | Shutterstock.com

HARRISBURG PA (January 2020)–A new report by government finance watchdog Truth in Accounting (TIA) has named Philadelphia as one of four cities to receive an F for its poor financial health.The TIA report \”

Financial State of the Cities

,\” which found widespread debt in city halls across the nation, cited Philadelphia as having the fourth largest taxpayer burden at $25,500, behind Honolulu at $26,400, Chicago with $37,100 and New York City with the largest taxpayer burden in the nation at $63,100.

Pittsburgh wasn\’t dramatically better, finishing 12th worst with a taxpayer burden of $15,600.

The taxpayer burden, according to TIA, is the amount that each local taxpayer would have to contribute for their city government to pay off all its bills.

TIA notes that the study sheds new light on exactly how much debt will fall into future taxpayers’ laps.

The report looked at the 75 most populous U.S. cities and found that Philadelphia was one of four that accumulated taxpayer burdens more than $20,000.

Calling the findings a \”catastrophic challenge for city lawmakers,\” TIA analysts took their data from the fiscal 2018 audited Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports, which are on file in city halls across the country, and TIA says \”are not analyzed on this scale by any other organization.\”

“Taxpayer Burdens occur when politicians decide to make promises on paper without fully funding the programs,” said TIA founder and CEO Sheila Weinberg. “We need to fix the wording of balanced budget requirements so civil servants can count on their retirement programs, and future generations are not forced to pay for our bills.”

The report says that Philadelphia’s substantial taxpayer burden is related to poor budgeting practices that have allowed the elected officials to claim they are meeting the city’s balanced budget requirement while putting the city more than $14 billion in debt.

Billions of dollars of earned and incurred compensation costs, TIA explains, were related to pension and retiree health care and have not been included in the budget calculation. In essence, benefits were promised, but elected officials have chosen to use money that could have been used to fund these benefits for other purposes.

Pittsburgh came under similar criticism from TIA.

\”Pittsburgh’s financial problems stem mostly from unfunded retirement obligations that have accumulated over the years,\” the report stated. \”Of the $1.8 billion in retirement benefits promised, the city has not funded $915.2 million in pension and $408.6 million in retiree health care benefits.\”

Weinberg added that all \”75 cities studied have balance budget requirements for very good reasons … They are intended to avoid the crushing debt Philadelphia now has and to promote accountability by not allowing elected officials to push current costs onto future taxpayers.”

As a result, Weinberg says, some 63 cities, including Philadelphia, have used misleading budgeting practices to circumvent the intentions of its balanced budget requirement and the result is a per taxpayer burden of $25,500, which future taxpayers will shoulder unless government services and benefits are cut.

Moreover, a consequence of the city\’s shoddy budgeting means that citizens have not had the \”information needed to be knowledgeable participants in Philadelphia\’s financial decision-making processes,\” she added.

However, TIA says that it\’s not all gloom and doom in Pennsylvania\’s two largest cities.

\”The good news,\” Weinberg says, \”is that Philadelphia and the other cities studied are now reporting all of their retirement debt on their balance sheets.\”

New government accounting standards required state and local governments to start reporting their pension liabilities on their balance sheets three years ago and their retiree health care liabilities last year.

Weinberg concludes, “This is a huge step for government transparency, because elected officials and citizens can now go to their Comprehensive Annual Financial Report and get a more accurate picture of their government’s finances.”

published here by the GLOUCESTERCITYNEWS.NET WITH PERMISSION

JEROME BY DAVE WOLFE

ARTIST Dave Wolfe

Vol. 6 No. 31 (February 2, 2020)

Editor\’s Note: Each Sunday morning we post a weekly comic strip provided by cartoonist Dave Wolfe. (click image to enlarge)

Pennsylvania\’s House Republicans Unveiled Bills to Help Human Trafficking Victims

Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Bryan Cutler speaks during a news conference Jan. 22, 2020, in Harrisburg. Image courtesy of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives

By Steve Bittenbender |

The Center Square

HARRISBURG, PA–Pennsylvania’s House Republicans on Wednesday unveiled a series of bills they say will help victims of human trafficking in the state.

With more than 1,200 reported cases of trafficking in the state over the last 13 years, state Rep. Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster, told a crowd gathered at the Ryan Rotunda in the Capitol Complex that it’s a crisis issue for the state.

According to Insider Monkey, Pennsylvania ranked 10th nationally with 127 cases reported in 2017. The site also noted that Pittsburgh ranked 10th as well among all U.S. cities. In most cases, victims of human trafficking endure sexual violence and exploitation.

“This package of legislation addresses many issues,” said Cutler, the House majority leader. “We must see the urgent need to step up efforts to combat trafficking as part of the wider battle for human rights. We need to create a culture where people no longer stay silent about the abuse they are suffering and where the legal systems take such violence seriously.”

In all, the package includes six House bills, a Senate bill and a House resolution, the latter of which would recognize January as National Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

In addition to aiding victims of trafficking, some of the bills also stiffen penalties for those convicted of trafficking. For example, state Rep. Barry Jozwiak, R-Berks, sponsors House Bill 161, which would make the trafficking of infants a first-degree felony. State Sen. Kristen Phillips-Hill sponsors Senate Bill 60, which would increase penalties for those convicted of trafficking and patronizing a victim of sexual servitude. Those offenses, too, would become first-degree felonies.

Another bill, House Bill 2175 sponsored by state Rep. Meghan Schroeder, R-Bucks, would expand the list of offenses where prosecutors could call an expert witness to inform juries about sexual violence and how trafficking victims may respond to violent acts. Meanwhile, House Bill 2174 sponsored by state Rep. Natalie Mihalek, R-Allegheny, would keep defendants from using a trafficking victim’s past as evidence in their defense from prosecution.

Mary Quinn, the president and CEO of the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg, said her agency has helped nearly 300 trafficking victims over the last five-plus years. Through that work, she said, she’s realized those victims suffered from complex trauma and need special resources. By pushing these bills through the Legislature, she hopes it can help bring more resources to the victims.

In some cases, the victims themselves find themselves being prosecuted. York County District Attorney Dave Sunday noted a drug death case where his office initially prosecuted a young woman who handed the victim the lethal dose. However, in working with the defense attorney and advocates, they soon realized the defendant in the case was being exploited and kept from her family in New Jersey.

Jennifer Storm, the state’s victims advocate, said cases like the one Sunday discussed show that previous efforts have worked in helping identify victims. However, more work remains to be done.

“We’re here to craft a more trauma-informed justice system,” she said.

published here with permission of The Center Square

Philadelphia Union II Announce 2020 Home Opener

Union II to play first game of 2020 campaign at Talen Energy Stadium against Loudoun United FC on Saturday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m.

CHESTER, Pa. (Jan. 2020)

– Entering the 2020 season as the newly rebranded Philadelphia Union II, the club, in conjunction with USL Championship, today announced that Union II will host rival Loudoun United FC in the club’s 2020 home opener. The match is set for Saturday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m. The ESPN Linear Broadcast schedule, as well as the complete 2020 regular-season schedule, will be announced in the near future.

Entering their second season playing at Talen Energy Stadium, Union II went 1-0-1 against Loudoun last season. The Union earned a 5-2 victory at home against the expansion-side and DC United affiliate, including goals contributed by returning 2019 team assist-leader, Zach Zandi and rookie midfielder Issa Rayyan.

The club is also set to travel to Charleston Battery for the inaugural home match at Patriot Point on Saturday, March 28.

Union II supporters can secure their seats in Talen Energy Stadium for the home opener as well as purchase season tickets, partial plans, group tickets and single season game when they go on sale Friday, Jan. 10 at PhiladelphiaUnion.com/2. Additionally, Philadelphia Union Season Ticket Members will receive general admission for all Union II matches with their plans, with the option of upgrading to reserved seating at a discounted rate.

Philadelphia Union II rebranded in late 2019 to further cultivate and streamline the player pathway from the academy to the first team. The club will play its home games at Talen Energy Stadium while also offering the chance to train alongside the first team at the Power Training Complex.   For a full list of the 2020 USL Championship home openers

click here.

5 Resume Tips to Wow Recruiters in 2020

Gloucestercitynews.net (February 1, 2020)–Let’s say you found a job posting where you believe your skills will fit like a glove. You applied to it by sending a resume and not only did you not get the job, but you also didn’t even get called in for an interview.

What do you think might have gone wrong?

image unsplash.com

It is safe to assume at this point that the fault lies within your resume.

Without a perfect resume, a recruiter will never even know what they missed. Being the first point of contact, your resume needs to be flawless. It is through this piece of document that you are going to dazzle the recruiter and score a place in the shortlist.

These are the 5 resume tips that will wow any recruiter in 2020:

Structure your resume in neat sections

Structuring your resume not only makes it look appealing, but it also breaks down the information in brief relevant sections. This helps the recruiter take in one piece of information at a time and thus makes it easy to read and comprehend.

The presentation of information on a resume is more important than the information itself. Wrongly presented, it will have no impact on the recruiter and thus has no relevance. So, be incredibly careful about what you put in your resume and how you display it.

The first thing you need to do is decide what sections will go on your resume.

Compose the following sections in the order given below to cover every information a recruiter needs to know about you:

Header

Personal Information

Profile Title

Summary

Key Skills

Professional Experience

Education

You can also add additional sections like ‘Certifications’ or ‘Additional information’ if you have data that can be filed under these. Add these sections only if they are relevant to the role you are applying for and you are positive that adding this information will favor your chances at a shortlist.

2. Make your resume easy to read

Most resumes that get tossed are due to their length or bulkiness.

These

statistics

by CareerBuilder show that 66% of employers said a resume should be one page long for new college graduates and 77% agreed that it should be at least two pages long for seasoned workers.

So, do yourself a favor and optimize the length of your resume. Discard all the fluff and only keep the essential information that a recruiter needs to know on your resume.

This eye-tracking

study

suggests that recruiters spend an average of 7 seconds on a single resume, that is not enough time for them to go through everything in detail. This means recruiters are only focusing on a few key points before making their decision about a candidate.

A cluttered resume might turn their interest off immediately as they won’t have any idea where to start looking for the required information.

To ensure that your resume gets read at least once, use one-liner bullet points instead of paragraphs to describe your past roles & responsibilities in the ‘Professional Experience’ section.

Further, categorize points under relevant subheadings and highlight the important information to draw the attention of recruiters towards it.

3.Write effective professional experience statements

However high your qualifications may be, they won’t score you a job if you haven’t presented them effectively on your resume.

Following are a few actions that you can take to make your resume more effective:

Bring the STAR method into action as it brings a cause-effect relationship in your statements. STAR stands for:

S stands for the ‘situation’ that demanded your contributions.

T stands for the ‘task’ you performed.

A stands for the ‘actions’ you took to perform the assigned task.

R stands for the ‘result’ in the form of an achievement figure.

An example of using this method can be seen in this one-liner point: “Delivered

10+ articles

weekly which increased the web site’s

traffic by 20%

”

Include as many achievement figures as you can while keeping them relevant: These numbers will help you back up your claims and make you look like a competent and useful asset. Performance figures prove that your contributions were helpful for the company.

For instance in the example, “Delivered

10+ articles

weekly which increased the web site’s

traffic by 20%

” the number of articles and the web site’s traffic is achievement figures.

Use

action verbs

to begin each one-liner point as it gives a tone of assertiveness to your resume. Words like ‘Managed’, ‘Spearheaded’ can give your resume a wow factor.

4.Keep your resume relevant to the job you are applying for

An irrelevant resume is not going to help you get any interviews. For instance, it makes no sense to mention your first job as a busboy or the many internships you did if you have been in the workforce for over 10 years.

Volunteering experience, internships, and similar information are required by inexperienced professionals or students, not someone who has already made their mark in the professional world.

These tips will help you keep your resume relevant:

If you have changed industries and your old job doesn’t fit anywhere near the new profile you are targeting, leave it off your resume.

People with more than 3 years of experience do not need to mention internships or volunteering experiences.

Use keywords as it helps you get past the Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Recruiters set the ATS to explicitly look for keywords in resumes before shortlisting them. You can find these keywords in the job description of your target job. Select the keywords that apply to you and customize your resume accordingly.4

Never forget to mention your contact details

4.Keep your resume relevant to the job you are applying for

Even if your resume got shortlisted, a recruiter will never be able to contact you to further your prospects if they do not have any means of contacting you.

So before you submit your resume, make sure that you have correctly input all the necessary contact details in your resume which include:

Contact Number

Email Address

Current Location

Conclusion

Looking back, these are the 5 resume tips to wow recruiters in 2020:

Structure your resume by filing information under relevant sections.

Enhance the readability of your resume by cutting out any clutter and highlighting important information.

Make your resume effective by using the STAR format, using action verbs, and including performance figures.

Increase the relevancy of your resume by only including relevant information and using keywords.

Provide the correct contact details to enable a prospective employer to easily touch base with you.

Author’s Bio:

Aditya Sharma

On a quest to help professionals across the world land their dream jobs, Aditya lives and breathes

Hiration where he’s a Co-Founder and the unofficial CPO (Chief Problem-solving Officer) of the AI-powered

online resume builder

and platform to help job-seekers find their way in the treacherous job market.

PA Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell Guilty of Spending Charity Donations on Vacations/Luxury Items

By Kim Jarrett |

The Center Square

Harrisburg PA (January 2020)–A former Democratic state representative who officials say took money from her nonprofit and spent it on vacations and luxury items was sentenced to three months behind bars.

Pennsylvania state Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell (center) will resign from the Legislature and plead guilty to corruption charges, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said Photo courtesy of Rep. Johnson-Harrell\’s website

Former Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell also was sentenced to 8½ months of house arrest, 11½ months on parole, and then two years of probation following her guilty plea to felony charges of theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception, perjury, and misdemeanor charges of tampering with public records, according to a statement from Attorney General Josh Shapiro. She pleaded no contest Thursday to two misdemeanor charges of reporting by political candidates and committees, statement of financial interests in a Philadelphia courtroom.

Johnson-Harrell was the founder of the Philadelphia-based Motivation, Education and Consultation Associates (MECA). The nonprofit operated personal care homes starting in 2013 for people who could not support themselves for a variety of reasons.

After officials found residents in unlivable conditions, the homes were abruptly shut down by MECA, “kicking residents to the curb, leaving them to find new living arrangements or enter into actual treatment,” Shapiro said when announcing the charges against Johnson-Harrell in December. “But Johnson-Harrell continued to collect monthly rent payments from MECA funds for these properties despite the fact that the organization was no longer using them.”

Johnson-Harrell diverted an estimated $500,000 to her personal and campaign accounts, according to Shapiro’s office.

“This Philadelphia community would have been in a better place had this former public official invested MECA’s money into the people who needed the care she promised,” Shapiro said. “Instead, the community received no help as Johnson-Harrell spent MECA money on fur coats, Porsche car payments and expensive vacations for herself.

Johnson-Harrell stepped down in December after Shapiro announced the charges, and she disputed some of the allegations against her but said she intended “to accept responsibility for any actions that were inappropriate.”

The legislative seat was formerly held by Democrat Vanessa Lowery Brown, who resigned after she was convicted in December of 2018 on bribery charges. Johnson-Harrell took office in March 2019 after winning a special election.

“Corruption erodes the trust that is built between government entities and citizens,” Shapiro said. “Philadelphia is entitled to honest services and, hopefully, the good people here will begin to receive them now that justice has been served.”

A special election to fill Johnson-Harrell’s seat will be held Feb. 25.

published here with permission of The Center Square

Making Birthday Celebrations Even Better

(NAPSI)—Birthdays: we all have them, and we all have a chance to make them memorable for the people we care about. From unique ideas for celebrating to top birthday gifts at any age, here are some ways to put the happy in these special occasions, turning every birthday into a “birthYAY!”

A World of Birthday Wishes

No matter how you express it, the love you feel when wishing someone a happy birthday is universal. So the next time a friend or family member’s big day comes around, surprise them by saying it in a different language. Strut your international style by reciting your best Bosnian, “Sretan ro?endan”, or Bulgarian, “Chestit Rozhden den.” Or show off those superior language skills in Swahili, “Siku ya kuzaliwa ya furaha,” or Swedish, “Grattis på födelsedagen.” Get the whole list online and get ready to send your best birthday wishes!

Making the Most of Milestones

We all know that one person who loves to stretch their day of celebrating into a whole week…or even a month! And while any age is worth recognizing, milestone birthdays are the perfect opportunity to get a little carried away. How about welcoming each new decade with a unique way to celebrate? Turning 30? Think of 30 fun things to do, however big or small. Feeling adventurous? Go skydiving, bungee jumping or rock climbing with a few of your closest friends. Like to keep it low key? A new hairstyle, massage or treating yourself to a gift of flowers or chocolates is a great way to go. Check out more awesome ideas and start planning.

Now Trending: Buzz-Worthy Birthday Surprises

Speaking of birthday gifts, nobody knows more about finding the right one than the team at 1-800-Flowers. Which gifts rise to the occasion? Truly original is the way to go, and their very own decorative birthday flower cakes take the cake. New to the collection is a vibrant floral cake creation, designed to brighten their celebration at any age.

Fall is a popular birthday season, the perfect time for sending their new Harvest Glow Bouquet, a farmhouse-style design full of rustic charm. And because you can never go wrong with a classic, their exclusive Magnificent Roses—in radiant red or passionate purple—leave a lasting impression.

Plants are having their moment, and 1-800-Flowers is now offering more green and blooming beauties than ever. Try a unique, new glass succulent terrarium, or their best-selling Happy Birthday Succulents by Lula’s Garden. And because birthdays were made for indulging, 1-800-Flowers is serving up some exclusive hand-dipped strawberries from the newest addition to their family of brands, Shari’s Berries.

So there you have it! The scoop on making birthdays special, straight from the experts. For more on sending smiles for birthdays, or any day, call 1-800-FLOWERS, visit

www.1800flowers.com

, or visit a retail store. To find one nearby, visit

florist.1800flowers.com

FBI News: Fraud Ring Leader Sentenced

A leader of an international criminal network that stole millions of dollars from two American businesses while pretending to be a legitimate vendor is now in prison.

Evaldas Rimasauskas was one of the orchestrators of the Lithuania-based business email compromise (BEC) scheme. Beginning in 2013, his employees regularly called the victim companies’ customer service numbers to glean as much information as they could about the companies. They asked for details like names of key employees and their contact information.

They also sent phishing emails that gave them access to the companies’ email systems—giving the fraudsters an even bigger trove of information about the victim companies.

“It was a big, sophisticated research effort,” said Special Agent Jonathan Polonitza, who investigated this case out of the FBI’s New York Field Office.

Armed with these details and two years of research, one of the fraudsters simply called the companies pretending to be a vendor. The caller told each company to change their bank account information for an upcoming payment.

The two companies wired several payments to the fraudulent accounts, adding up to more than $120 million.

And this is where Rimasauskas came in: He was in charge of setting up the fraudulent accounts and then immediately laundering the funds all over the world.

“Unfortunately, this is happening to a lot of companies because it’s a crime that can be committed from the other side of the world.”

Jonathan Polonitza, FBI New York

Luckily, the companies notified the FBI of the email intrusions. Investigators froze some of the funds before Rimasauskas and his associates could move the money. Rimasaukas had created a vast paper trail, including contracts, invoices, and other documents to try to make the transactions look legitimate.

But the FBI worked closely with partner agencies around the world to investigate Rimasaukas’ operation and bring him to the United States for prosecution. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges and was sentenced last December to five years in prison.

“Unfortunately, this is happening to a lot of companies because it’s a crime that can be committed from the other side of the world,” Polonitza said. “They also work very hard to remain anonymous.”

BEC is a growing crime—with a staggering price tag. Between 2013 and 2019, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received complaints of more than

$10 billion in losses

from the crime.

But there are things you can do to protect yourself and your business. And if you are victimized, it’s critical to notify law enforcement as soon as possible. In some cases, money can be recovered.

“It’s very important to be careful in opening any email attachments,” Polonitza said. “If something is suspicious, alert your company’s security. If you are a victim in a case like this, the sooner we know, the sooner we can help.”

If you or your company is affected by business email compromise, contact law enforcement immediately and file a complaint online with the IC3 at

bec.ic3.gov

Protect Yourself from BEC

The

Internet Crime Complaint Center

offers the following tips for both companies and individuals to stay safe from hackers looking to steal your money:

Use two-factor authentication to verify any changes to account information or wire instructions.

Check the full email address on any message and check the hyperlinks for spelling.

Never give login credentials or personal information in response to a text or email.

Monitor all financial accounts.

Keep all software and systems up to date.

Resources

Lithuanian Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Theft of Over $120 Million in Fraudulent Business Email Compromise Scheme

How to Encourage Your Kids to Brush Every Day

Gloucestercitynews.net (January 31, 2020)–Getting a good bedtime routine going can make it easier to get your kids to sleep. Therefore, it’s important to teach them to do things like put on their own pajamas and read a book. The problem is, when it comes to tooth brushing, many kids are reluctant to do it and may spend ages messing around and generally not doing what you ask. If your kids are refusing to brush, here are some ways to encourage them to get into good habits.

Find Out What They Dislike About Brushing

image unsplash.com

While sometimes a refusal to brush is simply laziness — or wanting to do something more fun — there can be a number of reasons why kids hate brushing their teeth. Some kids dislike the feel of brushing their teeth, but this can be helped if you brush for them until they’re older. Other kids hate the taste of toothpaste, so you could remedy this by making your own paste and utilizing different techniques to see if that makes your child happier.

Let Them Choose a Toothbrush

You wouldn’t want someone to pick out a toothbrush for you, so let your child have some input. It’s important to get a toothbrush with a head that’s small enough for their mouth, otherwise, they’ll struggle to get in the corners. An electric toothbrush can also make things more fun for them. According to Method Dental,

electric toothbrushes have a number of advantages

and can be good for kids.

Use a Reward Chart

If you’ve had success using the reward chart method with your child, then add toothbrushing to their daily goals so they can earn stars or smiley faces. Once they’ve collected enough, you can reward them with a non-sugary treat. And as they get older, the chart should be used to record their brushing every night before bed.

Use an App

The modern form of a reward chart, apps can be a good way to encourage children to pick up good habits, as well as ensuring they learn the right technique. There are many

toothbrushing apps for kids

that can be downloaded for free on the app store or Google Play. These apps will generally show a cute cartoon that ensures your child brushes correctly and for the recommended amount of time.

Take Them to the Dentist

If nagging doesn’t work, try taking the kids to a child-friendly dentist who can talk to them about brushing their teeth. Kids often don’t care if their teeth look a little yellow or if their breath smells, but the fear of having cavities or missing teeth might be enough to get them to brush more often.

From the first moment your child’s baby teeth come through, it’s important to teach them oral hygiene skills that’ll turn into good habits for life. While brushing your teeth isn’t the most exciting thing your kids can do, if you make a game out of it and reward them for remembering to brush, they are more likely to do it.