April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and here at Play & Learn that means a lot to us. We aim to create and maintain safe, nurturing environments for our students, and part of that is understanding and preventing child abuse.
To raise awareness and positively impact the communities we serve, Play & Learn implements the following strategies:
- All our employees are trained annually so that teachers and administration are aware of the latest research and support available to prevent child abuse, when possible.
- Our Preschool aged students receive ROARs lessons from Mission Kids annually so that children can learn to advocate for themselves if needed.
- Our families are provided with information every April that promotes Child Abuse Awareness through our family communication app, Tadpoles, our Play & Learn Post digital newsletter, and through our P & L Blog. Look to our Childhood Development and Family Wellness blog pages here to learn important facts about prevention, ways to decrease the chance of it occurring to our children and how to report it if you suspect it is happening to a child you know and care about.
When discussing child abuse, understanding Protective Factors and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s) is integral to raising awareness and preventing abuse. Protective Factors, when present in a family or community, lessen the chance that maltreatment will occur. Some protective factors include nurturing and attachment, knowledge of parenting and youth development, parental resilience, and more. To see the full list, click here. To learn more about protective factors and their impact on children and families, click here. ACE’s are traumatic events that occur before the age of 18 that can increase the likelihood of abuse. Parental incarceration and domestic abuse are two examples of these experiences. If you would like to view the full list and learn more, click here.
Keep your eyes open for our Child Abuse Prevention Campaign on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s throughout the month of April as Play & Learn shares quick messages with our school communities to connect everyone to resources regarding the prevention of child abuse. It is our hope that if one of our messages resonates with you about a child or family you may know, that you will join us as partners in preventing child abuse by passing the information on to anyone who can benefit.
If you suspect abuse, report it!
Call ChildLine at 1-800-932-0313.
