Blue Ribbon Month
APRIL IS NATIONAL CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH! ‘APRIL’ COMES FROM THE LATIN ‘APARIRE’, MEANING ‘TO OPEN’. THIS APRIL, LET’S HELP KIDS EMERGE FROM THE PANDEMIC WITH HOPE AND RESILIENCE, ENCOURAGING THEM TO OPEN UP, SPEAK OUT, AND BUILD STRONG NETWORKS OF COMMUNITY SUPPORT. EMPOWERING KIDS MAKES THEM LESS VULNERABLE TO ABUSE.
Dear Partner,
We, the founders of Partners in Prevention, met in the 1990s by way of a shared passion for the magic of childhood and the importance of a safe and healthy start for children. Kathy was a social worker with a long career in child abuse prevention and Patty was a businessperson and community volunteer with a dedication to child abuse prevention work. 25 years later, we felt that our child abuse prevention efforts—professional and volunteer—were unfinished. There was much that needed to be done, and we knew that it could be accomplished through grassroots and community-based efforts by those about a child’s right to be safe from abuse. A small group of like-minded friends and associates shared our belief in this vision.
This community support convinced us to co-found an all-volunteer non-profit organization dedicated to child abuse awareness, prevention education and advocacy for a safe childhood: Partners in Prevention.
The need is even greater now than when we began Partners in Prevention. As we enter the third year of pandemic-related uncertainty and all of its attendant questions—including whether, when and how to gather for family celebrations, how to deal with unsettling starts and stops for in-person school, and how to safely be with friends and play—we must make sure that children are safe and that their voices are heard. Children need to know we are listening and that there is a plan to keep them safe. It’s upsetting to learn from colleagues working in schools and children’s centers that children’s anxiety can prevent them from even leaving their parents side to enter another room. It’s heartbreaking to hear that children ask, “Who will take care of me if my parents die?”
Through resilience and creativity, we are all finding new ways to learn and work. This gives us hope for the future. We need to continue our work together, all of us, to find ways to ensure the safety of all children and to bring joy and happiness into their childhood. This April, we are doing just that by bringing in our Partner Professionals to answer your questions about how to keep kids safe and healthy during these trying times. Learn more about our Partner Talks below.
Thank you for your work in helping to keep childhood and children safe this April and always.
Patty and Kathy
COMING THIS APRIL:
We are honored to have the following Partner Professionals join us this April for a series of Partner Talks:
- Dr. Suzanne Giraudo, Psychologist and Clinical Director of the Kalmanovitz Child Development Center at California Pacific Medical Center
- Molly Jardiniano, Safety Awareness Trainer and Parent Support Line Supervisor
- Monica Malmquist, Educator and English Language Learner Specialist
These three professionals work with children and families every day to help keep kids safe from trauma, abuse, and neglect, and are ready to answer all of your questions (and your kids’ questions too!). Click on the button below to ask your question today, and look out for these very special Partner Talks throughout the month of April.