What You Can Do

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month—an opportunity for you to be a positive force on behalf of the children and families in your community. Preventing child abuse is an action in which each of us can participate. No one person can do everything, but everyone can do something. And together, we can do anything!

Here are some things you can do this Child Abuse Prevention Month:

Reach out
Anything you do to support parents and children can reduce the stress that often leads to child abuse and neglect.

• Be a friend to a parent you know. Ask how their children are doing. If a parent seems to be struggling, offer to baby-sit, run errands, or lend a friendly ear.

• Talk to your neighbors about looking out for one another’s children. Encourage a supportive spirit among parents in your community.

• Donate your used clothing, furniture, and toys for use by another family. This can relieve the stress of financial burdens that parents sometimes take out on their kids.

• If you or someone you know feels overwhelmed by the demands of parenting, call the Parent Helpline at 1-800-342-7472 for information about family support resources in your community.

Raise the issue
By educating yourself—and others—you can help your community prevent child abuse from happening in the first place.

• Explore our Child Abuse Prevention Resoource Room to access information you can download, print, photocopy and post in your workplace and in your community.

• Wear a blue ribbon and tell people it stands for the prevention of child abuse and neglect.

• Call or write your elected officials and ask them to support funding and legislative initiatives for parent support and child abuse prevention programs.

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