EVERYONE

• On Friday, March 31, 2023,  WEAR BLUE and snap a picture of it. Send that picture out on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram using the hashtag #wacaresforkids
• One of the most popular ways to show your support during Child Abuse Prevention Month is to use pinwheels. The pinwheel is a symbol of Child Abuse Prevention Month and planting or displaying them in prominent areas is a great way to pique the public’s curiosity!  Look around your community for pinwheel gardens planted by local organizations!

• Wear a blue ribbon every day in April and encourage others in your community to do so.
• Smile and be supportive of families and children wherever you are all the time.

• Raise awareness with every email you send. Choose one of the email signatures below to add to your communications during the month of April. Choose an email signature block or a graphic—or use both together! Everyone has a role to play in helping families thrive. Learn what you can do and use the email signatures below by visiting the web links shown.

GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

• Encourage fire and police departments to sound sirens and churches to ring bells at noon on March 31. This can be followed by a moment of silence and prayers for children and families and a proclamation signing ceremony, naming April as Child Abuse Prevention Month.
• Encourage government employees to get involved in child abuse prevention activities.
• In areas with city or county-run utilities, research the possibility of adding positive parenting brochures to monthly statements.

PARENTS AND FAMILIES

• Start a playgroup in your neighborhood. Schedule a meeting with other parents and organize the group to do a project that benefits the community.
• Do something every week that tells your children they are special – even by putting a note in their lunchbox or scheduling activities together. Visit children at school, attend their sporting events, and talk to them about their interests.
• Watch television with your children. Discuss issues such as violence and fantasy versus reality.
• Know where your children are and who they are with. Know their friends and friends’ parents and don’t hesitate to tell other parents what your family rules are.

RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS

• Organize volunteers to visit with or provide transportation for pregnant women, parents, and children attending health clinics for prenatal and pediatric care.
• Create a pool of volunteers from your congregation to provide respite care to parents.
• Hold a community baby shower for your local crisis nursery or shelter. Enlist local groups to help.
• Form or participate in partnerships with  schools, childcare facilities, and others. Address issues such as teen pregnancy prevention.
• Adopt a child protection or family services worker to assist with family needs.

EDUCATORS

• Hold essay or poster contests during April with a child abuse prevention or family-oriented theme. Involve writing and journalism classes to promote child abuse prevention in school newspapers and newsletters. Suggest that children participate in sidewalk art with chalk depicting positive family experiences.
• Hold special trainings for parents and teachers sponsored by the school district or parent association. Ask school service organizations to plan and participate in child abuse prevention activities.
• Support after school programs that support working parents by providing children with a safe place for activities.
• Invite speakers from Children’s Advocacy Centers to speak to  high school students about abuse-free relationships.
• Display child abuse prevention materials in school halls that give the most exposure, and suggest titles of books that discuss child abuse and its impact on our communities.

HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS

• Educate new parents on brain development, including the importance of providing nurturing care, talking, singing, and reading to their babies.
• Display child abuse prevention posters in waiting rooms, clinics, and emergency rooms.
• Help develop information kits with positive parenting information for new mothers, especially teen mothers.
• Organize and participate in health fairs, parenting classes, and other community outreach programs.
• Let parents know that they can call you regarding parental problems with newborns.
• Provide training to your community on how to recognize child abuse and neglect.
• Provide new parents with information about Shaken Baby Syndrome, postpartum depression and other health-related concerns.

CHILDCARE AND EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

• Encourage employers to support families. Studies show that new mothers tend to use fewer sick-leave days and are more productive when employers are supportive and flexible.
• Encourage parents to spend quality time with children at home.
• Share parenting information with parents.
• Seek training for staff on issues related to child abuse and neglect, including Shaken Baby Syndrome, fetal alcohol effects, and other topics.

LOCAL BUSINESSES

• Make a list of community resources available to employees, including after-school programs and parent support groups and classes.
• Coordinate or participate in fundraising events for local service organizations that support children and families.
• Promote child abuse prevention awareness by printing an ad on your shopping bags or including a message on your customer receipts. Print bookmarks and use as bag or paycheck stuffers. Post child abuse prevention materials on employee bulletin boards.
• Support employees with family issues. Encourage employees to display pictures of children. Periodically, schedule a speaker to discuss balancing work and family.
• Allow employees time to volunteer in child abuse prevention efforts.
• Promote quality childcare among employees. Start or support a childcare center for employees.
• Create safe and welcoming places for families.