This April, National Child Abuse Prevention Month, Healthy Kids, Lincoln County’s parenting resource center, reinforces the role that each person plays in ensuring that children, families and entire communities thrive by participating in the month-long nationwide awareness and impact campaign: “Everyone Can Make Great Childhoods Happen—Especially You, Especially Now!”

If you look around the county, you will see blue, pinwheel gardens representing Child Abuse Prevention Month! Janet Chase, Chair of the Missions Committee at the Congregational Church of Bristol said, “I am so happy that a young child like Harper was involved in the setup-a memory that will certainly contribute to a happy/healthy childhood for her as she sees them!  It is uplifting for the rest of us to see, at a time when we all need a bit of whimsy in our lives by supporting an important cause!”

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed April to be the first National Child Abuse Prevention Month (CAP Month), a tradition that continues to this day. “April is a time to help people across the country understand that safe, stable and nurturing relationships and environments are necessary to ensure that children grow up happy and healthy,” explained Leslie Livingston, Executive Director Healthy Kids. “You don’t have to be a movie star or a professional athlete…all you need is a desire to make a difference.”

Equally important is recognizing that the time to act is now. COVID-19 has made life difficult for everyone—especially children and families. Although the risk to our children’s physical health from the outbreak itself appears to be low, the risk to our nation’s children for experiencing child abuse and neglect in times of extreme stress and uncertainty is actually quite high.

School and workplace closings can increase stress in parents’ lives, resulting from loss of income due to lack of paid leave; an unexpected or irregular need for child care and even food insecurity, when school meal programs and other valuable resources become unavailable. Additionally, an unintended consequence of social distancing is isolation, which contradicts science proving that social and emotional connectedness and support are protective of mental health and positive discipline strategies.

Healthy Kids suggests the following things you can do:

–Let your representatives know you support family friendly policies, such as paid sick and family leave, that help reduce stress on parents and caregivers by participating in Prevent Child Abuse America’s nationwide Digital Advocacy Day, on Tuesday, April 28.

–Follow us on Facebook for daily activities for all ages and updates, @healthykidsmaine, and share our posts widely—and encourage your friends and family to do the same.

–Check out our website to sign up for a Zoom parenting class or call/email for support , www.healthykidsmaine.org

–Send an email to hk@tidewater.net to say you’d like to receive our weekly e-newsletter.

–Make a donation to support Healthy Kids programs, www.healthykidsmaine.org