Funded Projects

Cyber Smart Kids

Project Year

2026

City & State

Pembroke Pines, Florida

Program Name

Resident

Topic

General Pediatrics

Program Description

Problem:  Children in Hallandale Beach, aged 8-11, face growing risks related to the increased use of digital devices, including exposure to developmentally inappropriate and negative content, cyberbullying, and excessive screen time which can adversely affect their emotional, social and cognitive development. These risks are driven by multiple factors: many families in Hallandale Beach live in lower-income households with a median income of around $48,500, 25% of adults have less than a high school diploma, limiting access to digital literacy knowledge and resources. Additionally, a significant portion of households are non-English-speaking, creating barriers to accessing guidance on safe technology use. Without structured, culturally appropriate education and supervision, children may experience negative consequences such as emotional stress, impaired social skills, academic difficulties in addition to the safety concerns, underscoring the need for targeted interventions.   Primary Setting and Population Affected:  Cyber Smart Kids will be delivered through the Hallandale Beach Hepburn Center After-School Program. The Hepburn Center serves as a safe and structured environment for children and is accessible to students who attend schools that are within the boundaries of the city, or are residents of Hallandale Beach, providing an ideal setting to reach children who may otherwise be unsupervised at home. Hallandale Beach has a diverse population of approximately 43,000 residents, with children under 18 representing roughly 17%. Many households in Hallandale Beach are non-English-speaking, highlighting disparities in access to digital safety education and reinforcing the need for culturally and linguistically tailored interventions. The primary audience is 3rd-5th graders, at the early stages of their digital experiences. The secondary audience includes caregivers who play a critical role in reinforcing safe online behaviors at home.   Project Goal:  To enhance digital safety knowledge and skills among children and their caregivers in Hallandale Beach through structured educational sessions during after-school programming. We aim to provide participants with knowledge about responsible technology use, strategies to avoid online risks and tools for self-monitoring screen time. Simultaneously, parents and caregivers will receive guidance on supervising online activity and understanding potential threats.   Proposed Intervention:  We will deliver a four-session digital safety curriculum facilitated by pediatric residents in partnership with the Hepburn Center. Sessions will be spaced across the academic year to allow families to apply learned strategies between sessions and reinforce behavior change. Each session will build on prior content and incorporate interactive, developmentally appropriate activities. Bilingual (English/Spanish) take-home workbooks will be provided to children and caregivers, summarizing key concepts, offering conversation starters, and providing practical tools such as guidance on privacy settings and parental controls.  Anticipated Outcomes:  Participants are expected to demonstrate improved knowledge of digital safety, with 20-25% improvement in post-survey scores after each session. At the community level, the program will provide a model for digital safety education that can inform similar initiatives in other diverse, lower-income areas.   Long-term goal:  To sustain improved digital safety practices beyond the grant period by integrating the curriculum into ongoing Hepburn Center programming and distributing our interactive and educational workbooks through resident-run clinics and the pediatric mobile van.

Project Goal

The goal of this project is to increase the knowledge of children and families of Hallandale Beach regarding safe internet use, including how to navigate online spaces responsibly and recognize potential risks. 

Project Objective 1

By September 2026, complete development of an age-appropriate digital safety curriculum for children ages 8-11 (3rd to 5th grade), including bilingual (English and Spanish) take-home workbooks to encourage family participation and ensure equitable access for families. 

Project Objective 2

By June 2027, deliver the digital safety curriculum to 30-50 3rd through 5th grade children,  with at least 70% of participants demonstrating improved knowledge of online safety each session (e.g., identifying risks, recognizing safe behaviors), as measured by pre- and post-session surveys. 

Project Objective 3

By June 2027, provide bilingual (English/Spanish) take-home materials to 50 parents/guardians, with at least 50% reporting increased knowledge of potential risks and ways to monitor online use and support safe online behaviors, as measured by pre- and post-session surveys. 

AAP District

District X

Institutional Name

Memorial Healthcare System

Contact 1

Kylie VanWormer, DO

Contact 2

D'Anna-Marie Edwards. MD