Lost and Found

Keeping Track of Your Kids in Amusement Parks

By Michele Wojciechowski

Amusement parks are full of fun, but, let’s face it—they’re also full of lots and lots of people. Even the most diligent parents could, in a few short seconds, lose track of their child. Luckily, local parks have measures in place not only to help you keep track of your children, but also to help find quickly them if they do get separated from you.
“When I take my niece and nephew to Hershey Park, we always take a picture of them together outside the park,” says Karen Zimmerman of Forest Hill. “This way I know what they are wearing that day, and I have a recent photo.” Zimmerman also tells her kids what to do in case they get separated. “I also explain to the kids to look for someone who works at the park, and I show them what the park name badge looks like.”
Here’s a brief look at the safety measures some of the local amusement parks have in place.

Hershey Park, www.HersheyPark.com
Upon entering the park, parents can stop by Hospitality Services and get their kids a wristband on which they can write their cell phone numbers and contact information. That way, if a child does get lost, a park employee can call the parents immediately. In the meantime, children can wait for their parents in the Lost Child area at Gate 7.
If a child does get lost, the park will make Lost Child announcements over the public address system and inform all of the security personnel.
Visitors to the park who suspect a child is lost can report their concerns to any attendant or ride operator.

Six Flags America, Baltimore/Washington, D.C., www.sixflags.com/America
At Six Flags America, children get wristbands with contact information when they are measured for the rides’ height requirements.
If a child does get lost, park staff escort them to the Lost Kid Room in the First Aid Center. All staff take a required four-hour course on safety and how to deal with lost children to help ease their fears until they are reunited with their parents.

Dutch Wonderland, www.dutchwonderland.com
In addition to wristbands with contact information, this season Dutch Wonderland is implementing the Kidspotter, a lightweight wristband and GPS child-tracking system available to parents for a nominal rental fee of around $5. Parents access it through an app on their Smartphone. Each has a unique pin code.
The park also has a Lost Parent program, in which staff are in constant communication with security and the park team if they are approached by a lost child.

Kings Dominion, www.kingsdominion.com
Like the other parks, Kings Dominon has free wristbands for contact information. It also has a Lost Parents area in Kidsville, where the kids get food, drinks, TV, and activities to help keep them calm until the park locates their parents.
Park security officers have Lost Child cards with them at all times. If a lost child is reported, they can fill out a card with all pertinent information so the child is more easily identified. Security is dispatched to where a child was last seen or has been found and labeled a “lost child.”

© Baltimore’s Child Inc. July 2012