Award-winning sixth grade curriculum video recognized by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation alongside honorees including Oprah Winfrey and Lifetime Achievement recipient Andie MacDowell
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Former Florida Senator Lauren Book and her Lauren’s Kids Foundation have been named winners of a prestigious Gracie Award from the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation for the organization’s impactful sixth-grade prevention education video, “Safer, Smarter Teens: Grooming.”
The national honor recognizes exceptional programming created by, for, and about women across television, streaming, radio, and digital media. This year’s Gracie Award recipients included media icon Oprah Winfrey, while acclaimed actress Andie MacDowell was honored with the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Created as part of the Safer, Smarter Teens curriculum, “Grooming” is a developmentally appropriate prevention education video designed specifically for sixth-grade students as they navigate the transition into middle school — a pivotal period marked by increased independence, online exposure, and social pressure. The video uses relatable storytelling, humor, and peer dialogue to help students understand how grooming and manipulation often begin subtly through secrecy, boundary testing, and misplaced trust.
The lesson introduces students to the STOP safety framework — Secrets, Touches, Offering favors, and Pushing boundaries — empowering young people to recognize red flags, trust their instincts, and seek help from trusted adults.
“Prevention education saves lives, and this national recognition underscores the urgent importance of having honest, age-appropriate conversations with our children and teens,” said Book, founder and CEO of Lauren’s Kids, child sexual abuse survivor, and architect of the Safer, Smarter Schools curriculum. “Our children deserve access to the tools they need to recognize unsafe behaviors, to access help, and to know that doing so is an act of courage. I’m incredibly proud of our team and honored to see this work recognized alongside so many extraordinary storytellers and changemakers.”
The Safer, Smarter Schools curriculum, developed by Lauren’s Kids, is used in classrooms across Florida and across the country to educate millions of children and teens about personal safety, healthy boundaries, and abuse prevention through evidence-based, age-appropriate lessons.
To learn more about Lauren’s Kids and the Safer, Smarter Schools curriculum, visit Lauren’s Kids.
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