By Kate Walters, American Red Cross

Pedro the Penguin stood at the front of a classroom at Guffey Charter School in the small Colorado community of Guffey, wide-eyed, bright-beaked and dressed in his signature red bow tie. Beside him, an American Red Cross volunteer asked the children to picture the rooms where they sleep and identify two ways out if smoke or flames blocked the first.

One young student mentally traced the exit route from her bedroom. The first way was obvious: the door.

Then she looked for another.

Four walls. One door. No window.

Nothing in the classroom could create a second exit for her. But now she understood that her family needed to talk about what she should do.

Darlene Avery, a Red Cross preparedness volunteer, watched the lesson become personal for the girl.

"You could see her thinking," Darlene said. "She was going to take that lesson home and talk with her family about what they needed to do. That's exactly what we hope happens — a child starts a conversation that can help make the whole family safer."

That journey from classroom lesson to family conversation is built into Prepare with Pedro, a free Red Cross preparedness program for children in kindergarten through third grade. Through stories, activities, songs and animated videos, Pedro and his friends introduce children to emergencies in a way they can understand without making the subject overwhelming.

The program covers 11 topics, from home fires and wildfires to floods, extreme heat and what to expect in an emergency shelter. Children learn practical phrases such as "Get low and go" and "Get out and stay out." They identify exits, choose a family meeting place and consider what belongs in an emergency go kit. Activity books are designed to leave the classroom with them so adults at home can help complete the plan.

The need is close to home. In 2025, Red Cross volunteers responded to 440 home fires across Colorado and Wyoming, helping 1,635 people. That year, more than 4,000 students across the region learned how to prepare for disasters through 68 Prepare with Pedro presentations.

When people think of the Red Cross, they may picture blood donations or volunteers responding after a major hurricane. Prepare with Pedro represents another part of the mission: helping families act before an emergency happens.

Preparedness is not only about knowing where to go. Children also practice deep breathing and learn to visualize a color that helps them feel calm. These simple coping skills can help them settle themselves enough to listen, remember a plan and think more clearly when they are frightened.

Paul DeSena, community preparedness education program lead for the Red Cross of Northern Colorado, has learned that the program works best when children are doing, not simply listening. At an outdoor sports camp held at Colorado State University, younger campers learn with Pedro while older campers rotate between hands-only CPR and home fire preparedness.

Paul often ends his lesson with a go-kit relay race. Children dash to a container filled with possible supplies and choose what they think belongs in an emergency bag. Water, a flashlight, toothpaste and a crank radio are mixed with a sink strainer, costume jewelry and other questionable choices.

Afterward, the children gather around to defend their decisions. A stuffed Mickey Mouse earns a place in the bag — not as a survival tool, but as a small source of comfort during an evacuation.

The mood changes when Paul asks about pets. Children often say they would run back into a burning home to find a cat or dog. Then he asks whether their family has made a safer plan.

"That's when you see the expression on their faces change," Paul said. "They realize I'm not kidding — this is important. They need to go home and talk with their families about the plan, including what happens with their pets."

Pedro also meets children outside of the classroom. At the U.S. Air Force Academy Back-to-School Bash, which drew several hundred children, students moved among tables collecting backpacks and school supplies. Red Cross volunteers handed out red pens and Pedro activity books while Pedro shook hands, posed for pictures and welcomed children to the table.

For Cora Davis, Red Cross of Southern Colorado preparedness lead, the start of a new school year creates an opportunity to bring those materials — and the conversations they inspire — to more children.

"We're excited to continue bringing Pedro into schools this year," Cora said. "Children respond so well to the program, and we hope more schools and youth organizations will invite us to help their students learn how to prepare."

Schools, Scout troops, 4-H clubs, camps, faith communities and other youth organizations interested in hosting a Prepare with Pedro presentation can email PrepareColorado@redcross.org in Colorado or PrepareWyoming@redcross.org in Wyoming. Families can find Prepare with Pedro activities, animated videos and resources for helping children cope with disasters at redcross.org/YouthPrep.

Sometimes preparedness begins with an alarm, an escape route and a family plan. Sometimes it begins with a child coming home from school with an activity book — and an important question.