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Jacob Stapledon

Our Take: Online Safety Critical in 2026

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Our Take: Online Safety Critical in 2026

Jacob Stapledon

December 17, 2025

In 2025, Children’s Cove partnered with The Monomoy Regional School District, Mashpee School District, and The Institute for Responsible Online and Cell Phone Communication (IROC2) to provide online safety and digital mindfulness information to students from 3rd to 8th grade.   The tremendous success of these programs has laid the groundwork for a wider community presentation in 2026.

During his programs, Richard Guerry, Executive Director and Speaker for IROC2, delivers Digital Mindfulness and Online Safety information with infectious energy, ensuring high engagement with students. Following his visits, we received rave reviews and positive feedback from students, teachers, faculty, and parents. With the rapid growth of technology and the concerning rise of online facilitated crimes against children, Children’s Cove is bringing more than a dozen presentations to students and the community in January and February 2026.

Through our dialogue and conversations with students, we gained deeper insight into how much children understand about technology, the risks they face, and the even greater risks they may encounter in the future. What started as a simple engagement exercise last spring led to a sobering realization: children who haven’t even entered high school, who interact regularly with others online, are already finding themselves engaging with people who mean to do harm.

As Richard Guerry states in his presentation, “With new technology comes even faster methods of communication and innovation; these children are ultimately those who face all of the risks.”

While concerns about technology’s impact on children have existed for years, an even greater awareness of these risks is now growing worldwide. In the beginning of 2025, Brazil banned the use of smartphones in their schools, a move currently being discussed here in Massachusetts. In the second week of December this year, the government of Australia banned social media platforms for children under the age of 16. Pediatricians and social scientists are even beginning to discuss whether the implementation of technology as learning devices is having a positive effect at all.

It is our responsibility as a Child Advocacy Center, and as parents and caregivers across our community, to both understand and teach children how to effectively and safely use internet-enabled devices like cell phones, video game systems, and computers. We need to make certain children understand the importance of not sharing personal information online, and that ALL their actions online are Public and Permanent®.

With new technology comes even faster methods of communication and innovation; these children are ultimately those who face all of the risks.”

To start the new year, Children’s Cove is proud to be partnered with seven schools and youth-serving organizations to bring this essential information to the children, parents, and caregivers of our community.

Events Schedule: January and February 2026

January 6, 2026:

  • Chatham Elementary School, students and faculty, grades 3-4
  • Monomoy Regional Middle School, students and faculty, grades 5-7
  • Community presentation for parents and community members
    • Monomoy Regional Middle School
    • Time: 6:00pm

January 7, 2026:

  • Harwich Elementary School, students and faculty, grades 3-4
  • Community Presentation for parents and community members
    • Quashnet Elementary School
    • Time: 6:00pm

January 14, 2026:

  • Martha’s Vineyard Boys and Girls Club, all participants
  • Community Presentation for parents and community members
    • YMCA of Martha’s Vinyard
    • Time: 6:00pm

January 21, 2026

  • Pope John Paul II Middle School, students and faculty, grades 5-8
  • Community Presentation for parents and community members
    • Pope John Paul II Middle School
    • 6:00pm

January 22, 2026

  • Nauset Middle School, students and faculty, grades 5-8
  • Community Presentation for parents and community members
    • Nauset Middle School
    • 6:00pm

February 4th, 2026

  • Community Presentation for parents and community members
    • Hyannis Youth and Community Center
    • 6:00pm

We express our deepest gratitude for each school district and community organization that has partnered with Children’s Cove to bring this essential information to the communities we serve. We also want to thank the Friends of Children’s Cove and the Martha’s Vineyard Community Foundation for providing funds to ensure this critical information reaches Martha’s Vineyard children.

If you are a parent or community member and would like to learn more about these upcoming programs, please contact Jacob Stapledon, Community Engagement and Education Program Manager by emailing him at jacob.stapledon@childrenscove.org 

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Community Partner Spotlight: Friends of Children’s Cove

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Community Partner Spotlight: Friends of Children’s Cove

Jacob Stapledon

December 17th, 2025

As the only Child Advocacy Center (CAC) which covers the Cape & Islands, Children’s Cove’s work can be described in one word: critical. In 1997, members of the Barnstable County Task Force on Children—a collaboration including Cape Cod Healthcare, the Department of Children and Families, the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office, and Barnstable County Government—identified a crucial need for specialized services for children who were victims of child abuse. With no local agencies equipped to provide the specialized supports children needed, they created Barnstable County’s first Child Advocacy Center. Today, Children’s Cove works in partnership to provide a comprehensive, multidisciplinary response to child sexual abuse cases across the Cape and Islands.

While we’re supported by County, State and Federal funds there are limitations and legislative requirements to our budget which restrict our ability to provide critical needs for children and families. It is with the support of dedicated community members, community foundations, and the Friends of Children’s Cove (FoCC) that we can provide support to children at the most urgent of times.

The Friends of Children’s Cove, Inc. is a volunteer and community-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established to support Children’s Cove’s mission and essential services. The FoCC provides support for a timely response to children and families served at Children’s Cove for safety, transportation, basic needs, healing activities, and programs that fall outside of county, state, and federal funding. FoCC provides leadership guidance, promotes community advocacy, and facilitates philanthropic efforts for Children’s Cove.

Funding from the Friends of Children’s Cove directly supports child victims, siblings, and caregivers through three key avenues:

1. Immediate Response Funding: This is the most common form of support and assists children and families by providing financial stipends for basic life essentials, such as food, clothing, transportation, and housing, when there is an immediate need. For example, if it is no longer safe for a child and non-offending parent to return home, they may need a safe place to stay for a day or two.

2. Pathways to Healing: This funding provides children and families with access to activities and services to foster emotional healing as well as opportunities to connect within their community and regain normalcy following trauma. This can include supportive childcare or other resources like summer camp, after-school activities, and more.

3. Community Free of Abuse: These funds expand and support community education services for the prevention of child abuse, raising healthy children, and strategies to navigate challenging situations.

The Friends of Children’s Cove also supports our innovative programs, like the Teen TASK Force, as well as initiatives we have in partnership with A Safe Place on Nantucket and Connect to End Violence on Martha’s Vineyard.

The Friends of Children’s Cove, its volunteers, and Trustees have made an indelible mark on the lives of children in our community, and we cannot express enough gratitude for those who have contributed to their cause.

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Individuals pictured are models and are used for illustrative purposes only. Children’s Cove is partially supported by the Massachusetts Office of Victims of Assistance through a Victim of Crime Act of 1984 (VOCA) grant from the Office of Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender or gender identity, disability, ancestry, age, marital status, public assistance status, sexual orientation, veteran history/military status or genetic information. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider employer, and lender.

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