FLOW has appealed to parents of children who will be attending its highly anticipated Skool Aid back-to-school fair on August 28 at Jamworld in Portmore to ensure that they are in full control of their children.

The call was made Monday by FLOW’s vice-president for marketing and television, Carlo Redwood.

“We encourage parents to monitor their kids and know where they are. They can get carried away with all the offerings in the venue, so we encourage the parents to monitor and take care of them,” Redwood implored at the

Jamaica Observer’s Monday Exchange, where Flow’s marketing team gave details of the annual project, which is now in its seventh year.

Sponsorship Manager Stephen Miller said FLOW and its partners will, however, have measures in place to secure children who may become separated from their parents or guardians.

“…There is a kids ‘lost and found’ type of area that is manned, in conjunction with the Jamaica Constabulary Force. We [usually] announce and highlight the area through the emcee, so if parents can’t find their child, they go to that area; it’s quickly communicated on stage. It has worked to date, so they don’t usually go missing for very long. Usually within a few minutes the child is found,” he explained.

“There will be a lot of volunteers from FLOW, [so] if they see a child by his/herself, they take it on and locate the parents. We have a family type of service that we provide to ensure that every child is accounted for,” Redwood added.

The telecommunications company is spending $80 million to stage Skool Aid this year, having already expended $400 million since the initiative kicked off in 2010.

The fair will provide a range of medical services to children who are returning to school, or going into the formal classroom for the first time. These include dental, optical and the specific check-ups that are required for new students, as well as immunisation shots.

The children will also receive backpacks with stationery, haircuts and hair treatments, and significant discounts on back-to-school supplies, such as uniforms, textbooks, shoes and lunch box supplies.