One of our top concerns as parents will always be keeping our family safe. One of the web sites that i fully support is:
http://www.familywatchdog.us/.

It is better to be aware of your surroundings and safe than to not use the resources around you and let something happen to someone around you before you become aware.

At this web site you will find a place to plug in your own address and it will let you know if there are any persons living around you that your family should be aware of. However, keep an open mind. There are innocent people out there who have been placed on offenders' lists who really should not be there.

I highly recommend checking with Family WatchDog and their efforts to pass good laws to protect our children. As Foster/Adoptive Parents we may wish to check this list from time to time and update our insight.
However, telling children anything negative could cause great harm. So maybe just setting your household boundary rules to not include the area of a child sex offender would be best.

Good parents are alert and aware but open minded.