April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month
- Lake County News reports
- Posted On
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
It’s an annual observance in the United States dedicated to raising awareness and preventing child abuse, and helps to create community conversations about the effects of child abuse prevention efforts.
The Lake County Children’s Council, under the direction of Ana Santana from the Lake County Office of Education, works diligently year-round to prevent child abuse.
“When people hear “Child Abuse Prevention Month” they often focus on the phrase “child abuse,” said Santana. “It would be terrific if they could focus on the word ‘prevention’ and really understand what prevention might look like.”
Child abuse prevention is about strengthening families, which can be as simple as a kind word to a harried mother, an offering of help, or parenting classes to help parents break the cycle of abuse, according to Santana.
Santana added, “We need to focus on building resiliency with our children, parents and families. We want the conversation to be about how to make things better, not just why things are bad. That’s why the Children’s Council goal statement is ‘Child abuse prevention through the transformation of Lake County into a trauma-informed, resilience focused community.’"
The Children’s Council, along with numerous partner agencies, have events planned all over Lake County in the month of April to celebrate Child Abuse Prevention.
“These events provide an opportunity to raise awareness about the work being done in the family strengthening field, provide outreach to families, and most importantly, celebrate Lake County’s kids, who we work to keep safe and healthy every day,” Santana said.
The popular Children’s Advocacy Walk & Festival will take place on Saturday, April 13, at Library Park in Lakeport.
The First 5 Express, a bilingual children’s activity center, will be at Library Park on April 13 and at the Clearlake Oaks Senior Center on Sunday, April 14.
There will also be art contests, pinwheel gardens, flag ceremonies, and proclamations made by the county and both cities throughout the month of April.
For a complete listing of all events, visit www.lakecoe.org/ChildAbusePrevention.
For more information on the Lake County Children’s Council, visit www.lakecoe.org/Childrens_Council.