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Hernando Today

Guard-A-Kid Gives Parents Peace Of Mind

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By TONY HOLT

Hernando Today

Published: September 22, 2008

Updated: 09/22/2008 03:09 pm

SPRING HILL - Time is a child's worst enemy whenever he or she is lost or kidnapped.

All pertinent information should not trickle down to the authorities. It must get to them all at once - as quickly as possible.

The concept of Guard-A-Kid is centered on those two purposes. Have the information on one disc and have it ready to give to law enforcement at a moment's notice.

"Time is of the essence whenever a child is missing or feared missing," said Kim Poppke, who recently started a local Guard-A-Kid franchise in Spring Hill.

The next-closest Guard-A-Kid is in Pinellas County.

Her focus for the time being is daycares and preschools, although she would like to work with the local school system in the near future.

"I think it would be a perfect fit," Poppke said of any future partnership with the area's elementary schools.

Among the features she offers is a SmartID Band, which includes a flash drive that could contain images of the child and family as well as emergency information (allergies, blood type, required medications, etc.).

The device wraps around a child's wrist and comes in black, blue or pink.

Poppke also offers a SmartID Stick, which allows parents to store all of their family's information in one place. The stick itself is a memory device that contains storage software. Owners can enter all emergency and medical information into the stick, which can be plugged into any PC.

The stick is about 2 inches long and is typically carried on a key ring.

Both the band and the stick also can be used for seniors, Poppke said.

Guard-A-Kid, which was founded in 2003 in Miami, also offers a variety of children's products, including wireless locators, Tooth prints, and safety-oriented CDs.

The classic identification kit includes two laminated ID cards, a full-sized ID and a CD that contains fingerprints, images and demographic information.

Poppke has a mobile booth with a laptop hooked up to all of the necessary devices - camera, fingerprint reader, etc.

An ID kit is $20. A band is $27.95 and a stick costs $34.95. If the latter is purchased through the school system, it would cost $29.

The Spring Hill resident is the mother of a 7-year-old son. Her medical records background made her pursuit of a children's identification program seem logical, she said.

She also thinks Guard-A-Kid would come in handy in case there is a hurricane evacuation. Families can separate during such a chaotic and sudden move, she said.

Poppke and her husband and son moved to Spring Hill in 2006 from Pennsylvania.

"We had always wanted to move to Florida," she said. "We finally reached a point where we could."

In the future, she hopes to bring her booth to family events around town to raise awareness for her program.

Kids' appearances can change from year to year. They lose and regrow teeth. Sometimes they have long hair. Other times they cut it short. Almost all of them will have a growth spurt.

Poppke would make her booth available to any school or daycare at least once per year, she said.

Biz at a glance:

Name of biz - Guard-A-Kid

Owner - Kim Poppke

What it is - Child ID system

Web site - www.guardakid.com/kpoppke.html

Get in touch - 352-556-2155

E-mail - kpoppke@guardakid.com.

Reporter Tony Holt can be reached at 352-544-5283 or wholt@hernandotoday.com.

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