Child Abuse Prevention

CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION PRACTICED ALL YEAR

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Every child deserves a happy, healthy and loving environment to grow up in. Together we can protect children from abuse and neglect and lead each child into a brighter future. Although April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, Positive Promotions believes it should be practiced throughout the year and that is why we offer educational and awareness products that set the tone for dialogues in your school and community all year round. Our tools explain what child abuse is, and how you can prevent child abuse and ultimately eliminate it.

We invite you to use the ideas in this guide we put together in combination with our material that is well-designed and inexpensive to raise awareness about child abuse, because protecting children is everyone’s responsibility.

• Bring attention to Child Abuse Prevention with shirts bearing an important message. See how many people in your school or organization you can get to wear these shirts and as an incentive ask local companies to get involved by extending discounts to those people wearing shirts.

• Include local houses of worship in your child abuse awareness efforts by setting up informative “Kids’ Corner” booths in their atriums and entryways. Display information for youngsters as well as parents to take with them. These might include “Good Touch Bad Touch” Activity Book and “Warning Signs of Child Abuse” Pocket Pals.

• Organize a fundraiser at your school to raise money for a local organization that is committed to the protection of children. Decorate with our Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Pack. Allow Employees who donate to the cause to wear jeans at work one day and give all those who make a donation above the minimum rate a “Blue Awareness Bracelet With Prevention Tip Card” this will help raise awareness for Child Abuse Prevention and the money raised will make a real difference in the lives of children who need it most.

• Host an awareness event at your local library. Invite law enforcement agents to speak to students about recognizing, preventing, and reporting abuse. After youngsters have been told how to report abuse, have them act out skits where they must make the right decisions about what to do in a situation where abuse is occurring. Provide information for parents and kids to take home. They may include Glancers from our Smart Parenting Glancer Station and for youngsters our “It’s Ok To Tell!” Educational Activity Books.

Expand Your Reach

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Call attention to child abuse prevention with clothing bearing an important message. Prior to April, find out who in your organization would like a “Protecting Children Is Everyone’s Job” T-Shirt, then place an order. As an incentive, ask businesses located near your facility to offer discounts, such as 20% off, to people wearing the shirts. On April 1st, distribute the special apparel and a list of participating businesses. Designate Fridays as the time to don the shirts. Use “Protecting Children Is Everyone’s Job” Metallic Comfort Grip Pens as a reward for all who remember every Friday in the month.

Get Religious Groups Involved

2011-03-02T10:04:00.002-08:00

Include local houses of worship in your child abuse awareness events this month by setting up informative “Kids’ Corner” booths in their atriums or entryways. Display information for youngsters as well as parents to take with them. These might include “Good Touch, Bad Touch” Educational Activities Books and “My Safe Body” Workbooks for children, and “101 Ways To Praise Kids” Pocket Pals and “Warning Signs Of Child Abuse” Pocket Pals for adults. Ask for permission to say a few words at the end of religious services to alert the congregation about your booth and Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Raise Funds While Raising Awareness

2011-03-02T10:04:00.001-08:00

Hold a fundraiser at your facility to raise money for a local child protection organization. Decorate with our Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Pack. For a minimum donation, let employees wear jeans to work and give them a “No Excuse For Abuse” Satin Self-Stick Ribbon to wear. For a larger donation, employees can wear jeans and receive a Plastic Blue Ribbon Lapel Pin. The ribbons and pins will help increase awareness for Child Abuse Prevention Month, and the money collected will make a real difference in the lives of children who need it most. Place donation jars where visitors to your facility can participate in the fundraising efforts.

Decorate The Community

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Make the entire community aware of Child Abuse Prevention Month by trimming trees throughout your city or town with blue ribbons. Encourage local organizations and business groups to adorn their own offices with blue ribbons and ask those in high-profile buildings to consider turning their lights blue for one night during April. Inform the press about these events and have child abuse prevention literature from Positive Promotions available at every participating group’s facility. Also, provide each participant with “It Shouldn’t Hurt To Be A Child” Balloons to decorate their facility and “Protecting Children Is Everyone’s Job” Sparkle-Foil Pencils to give out to employees and visitors.

Learn Through Acting

2011-03-02T10:03:00.001-08:00

Host an awareness event at your local library. Invite law enforcement agents to speak to students about recognizing, preventing, and reporting abuse. After youngsters have been told how to report abuse, have them act out skits where they must make the right decisions about what to do in a situation where abuse is occurring. Provide information for parents and kids to take home. Parents will appreciate Glancers from our Smart Parenting Glancer Station and youngsters will learn valuable lessons from “It’s OK To Tell!” Educational Activities Books.

Keep Teens Out Of Trouble

2011-03-02T10:02:00.000-08:00

Today’s teens face a host of contemporary dangers and complications that parents may not fully understand. You can help by focusing a series of community seminars on how to parent teens. Cover topics such as cybersafety, bullying and cyberbullying, drug and alcohol abuse, conflicts at home, and cell phone use and “sexting.” Invite experts to speak about these subjects, advertise widely, and provide supporting materials at the seminars for parents to take home, including our “Cybersmart Parenting” Guide, and “Cell Phone Lingo” and “Warning Signs Of Teenage Problems” Slideguides.

Put On A Show

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Get across your message with ease by putting on a fun puppet show for children based on the Good Touch, Bad Touch Educational Activities Book. Let youngsters learn about acceptable and non-acceptable touches in a safe, entertaining environment. Hold the puppet show at a local
library or community center, and give each child who attends a copy of the activity book as reinforcement. Set up a Positive Parenting Bookmark Station as well, and encourage parents and guardians to take bookmarks home.

Go On A Hunt

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The first Sunday in Child Abuse Prevention Month is also Easter. Celebrate with an Easter egg hunt that is both enjoyable and educational. Fill plastic eggs with candy and prizes, including I Am Special Temporary Tattoos and Lollipops with slogans such as Kids Are Special and Cherish The Child . Hide the eggs, and give each child a basket to hold found eggs. Have available for parents and guardians our Smart Parenting Glancer Station which includes ready-to-hang glancers in English/Spanish on topics such as 10 Tips For Stress-Less Parenting and 10 Ways To Be A Great Parent.

Show Solidarity Against Abuse

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Wherever you work, get the whole organization involved by sending out a staff-wide e-mail at the beginning of April, calling everyone’s attention to the importance of Child Abuse Prevention Month. In the e-mail, suggest what your staff can do to help. Inform everyone about any events planned during the month. Tell them that each will receive a No Excuse For Child Abuse Blue Awareness Bracelet that you invite them to wear every day during April, to show staff support against child abuse.

Honor Child Advocates

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Show your appreciation to employees working in the field of child protective services by hosting a dinner in their honor. Hold it at your facility or rent a banquet room, and invite pillars of the community to come and speak about the importance of protecting children. At the end of the meal, have an award ceremony honoring child protection workers for their dedication and years of service with I Make A Difference In The Lives Of Children Lapel Pins. Give all attendees Plastic Blue Ribbon Lapel Pins to wear throughout the month.

Focus on Prevention

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If you work with children who have suffered abuse, make April about preventing further abuse through education and improving self-esteem. During counseling sessions, use our Educational Activities Books, such as Who Can You Trust? and Be Smart: Say “No” To Strangers to teach children how to protect themselves in the future. At the end of each session, remind children that they are unique and special by giving them 5-On-A-Roll Self-Esteem Booster Stickers and I Am Special Heat-Sensitive Pencils.

Make Sunday Blue

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On the last Sunday in April, team with local churches to honor “Blue Sunday,” an international day of awareness for children who have been abused and/or neglected. During church services, ask all to say a prayer for abused and neglected children. After services, each church should set up an information table and invite child abuse prevention staff to speak to parishioners about how they can help. At the information table, have materials for both children and adults. Make available Coping With Family Conflict Handbooks and Smart Parenting Journals for adults. For children, you can provide Educational Activities Books such as the English/Spanish Flip-Style Book My Body Belongs To Me, and for the very young, I Like Me With Billy Beagle.

Rhyme With Reason

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Help raise the confidence of kids in your community. Hold a poetry contest during April and encourage children to write about having high self-esteem. Have kids submit poems by the middle of April. Give each poet a “Kids Are Special” Message Lollipop and a “There’s No Excuse For Child Abuse” Awareness Satin Ribbon Bracelet. At the end of April, announce the winner of the contest and give him or her a special prize, such as two tickets to the movies or a baseball game.

Something Special

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Take time during April to focus on the efforts and dedication of your social workers. Plan a special outing for them, such as lunch at a local restaurant. Before departing for the event, give each social worker a “Protecting Children Is Everyone’s Job” or an “I Make A Difference In The Lives Of Children” T-Shirt to wear.

Education And Eating

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Children need to know what abuse is so they can take an active role in protecting themselves from it. To help educate them, give out some extra “homework” this Child Abuse Prevention Month. Send each child home with an “It’s OK To Tell!” Educational Activities Book and a “10 Ways To Teach Your Child Personal Safety” E-Z Stick Glancer. Tell children to read and do the activities in the Educational Activities Book and have their parents or guardians read the Glancer. Include a note for the children and parents (or guardians) to sign confirming that all reading was completed. Throw a pizza party for each class in which all the

Good Morning

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Say “thanks” to your employees with a surprise breakfast during Child Abuse Prevention Month. Tell them there will be a morning meeting later in the week. When they arrive for the “meeting,” have orange juice, coffee, whole wheat bagels, fruit and other breakfast goodies for them. Allow time for socialization. At the end of the meal, make a short announcement thanking employees for their hard work. Then pass out “Protecting Children Is Everyone’s Job” or “Children Are Our Tomorrow, Care For Them Today” Lapel Pins With Presentation Cards.

Community Outreach

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Partner with local businesses to spread awareness about child abuse and raise money for a charity or program that benefits children. At the end of March, drop off donation jars at businesses. Make sure each jar has a label that features information about Child Abuse Prevention Month and where the money will go. Give each business a bunch of “Teaming Up To Keep Kids Safe” or “There Is No Excuse For Child Abuse” Message Pencils that can be given to customers who make a donation.

Art With Heart

2009-02-04T10:04:00.000-08:00

Art can heal and inspire. It can also brighten up a room. For Child Abuse Prevention Month this year, invest in some paint and paintbrushes, and recruit local students to paint a mural at your facility. Have students work on it during February or March so it’s finished by the beginning of April. Plan to unveil the mural at a special event. Invite all employees, the artists who worked on it and members of the community to attend. Serve refreshments and decorate your event area with Balloons and the Poster from our Child Abuse Awareness Pack.