University of Southern California USC Logo

Our Communities

University Park residents Carmen Perez (left) and Guadalupe Andrade, pictured here in 2002, form part of a broad network of community members dedicated to creating a small-town atmosphere by watching out for each others' children as part of USC’s Kid Watch program. (photo by Katherine Diaz)

Kid Watch

It's that time again.

Twice a day you can see them peeking out of their windows, sitting on their porches or out watering their lawns - an entire community watching out for its children.

That is the heart of Kid Watch, a USC program that mobilizes volunteers to provide safe passage for more than 9,000 children as they walk to and from school.

Nearly 1,000 residents made a commitment to keep their eyes on the street and watch over their community's most precious and fragile asset - their children.

The Kid Watch volunteers, vetted by the university and the police department, are more than just passive onlookers. Their homes - displaying the Kid Watch logo in black and yellow - are safe havens where children can go if they are scared.

When the program was created in 1996, there were 25 members. It has since become a model for schools from Sacramento to Canada to New Zealand.

Kid Watch volunteers map

Site design: USC Web Services