KIDSCOPE, Inc. was approved as a non profit, tax exempt organization, 501(c) (3) in 1994. KIDSCOPE's mission is to help children and families understand the effects of cancer or chemotherapy on a loved one, to provide suggestions for coping, and to develop innovative programs and materials that communicate a message of hope to diverse families coping with this crisis.

The name, KIDSCOPE, can be read as Kids Cope; one of our goals is to help children successfully cope with the diagnosis and treatment of a parent with cancer. Read another way- Kid Scope, our name suggests our additional goal of understanding a parent's cancer from a child's point of view. Children have a unique perspective that changes with each developmental stage. The impact of a parent's cancer on a three-year-old child is quite different from the likely effect on a thirteen-year-old. It is our hope that by bringing families some basic information about what to expect, we will improve the quality of life for any family dealing with the trauma of cancer diagnosis and the challenges of often-grueling treatment regimens.

Thus far, KIDSCOPE has focused primarily on the production and distribution of educational materials designed to help families coping with a caretaker's cancer. Two products were produced in 1995 and have been distributed to over 40,000 individuals in all 50 states and a number of countries internationally.

Kemo Shark - KIDSCOPE's first product was a 16 - page color "comic book" designed to help children understand the psychological and physiological changes in a parent who has cancer and is under-going chemotherapy. Kemo Shark is available in English or Spanish.

Our DVD - KIDSCOPE has produced a video about children's reactions to a diagnosis of breast cancer in their mothers. My Mom Has Breast Cancer includes interviews with seven children and four mothers who have successfully weathered this experience. The DVD includes this video as well as a narrated version of the comic. The DVD includes both products in English and Spanish.