We are very happy to let you know that the official Pinwheels for Prevention website is now live and we hope you will take a look.

It's true, the official Pinwheels for Prevention website is live and we hope you will take a look and let us know what you think. The pinwheel represents Prevent Child Abuse America's efforts to change the way our nation thinks about prevention, focusing on community activities and public policies that prioritize prevention right from the start to make sure child abuse and neglect never occur. It represents our efforts to ensure the healthy development of children nationwide, while recognizing that child development is a building block for community development and economic development. So, please get involved, please take a look at the website and please let us know what we can do to make the site more interactive and user-friendly.

Urge Congress to Include Prevention in the Economic Recovery Bill. Take Action Now.

Prevent Child Abuse America is urging Congress and the incoming Obama Administration to include increases to child abuse prevention funding in the economic recovery package they are developing. We believe that:

1. Funding cost effective child abuse and neglect prevention strategies would have profound immediate and long-term effects on our nation’s economy; and

2. While always important, a focus on prevention is even more critical when families are experiencing the stresses of unemployment and economic hardship.

Take Action

We need your help to make sure that child abuse prevention is included in this package. Please contact your Members of Congress TODAY and ask them to include the following provisions in the economic recovery package:

1. $100 million increase to the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act community-based grants (CBCAP). CBCAP grants help states develop and implement effective approaches to preventing child abuse and neglect. Increased funding will provide additional support to implement evidence-based prevention strategies such as parenting education, home visiting programs, mutual self-help support groups for parents, and crisis nurseries.

2. Fully fund the Promoting Safe and Stable Families discretionary grant at $200 million. Increased funding to PSSF will promote the expansion of family support services in communities across the nation and provide more intensive help for families in crisis.

3. Provide a $1.1 billion increase to the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG). SSBG’s built-in flexibility enables states to address a range of needs that families experience during periods of economic instability and upheaval.

Take Action Now. Contact your Senators and Representative today!

And for information or assistance please do no hesitate to contact Bridget Gavaghan, Senior Director of Public Policy at bgavaghan@preventchildabuse.org.

How great is this? Prevent Child Abuse New Jersey is now podcasting.

We are really excited to let you know that Prevent Child Abuse New Jersey is now podcasting and we hope that you will not only pay them a visit and take a listen, but that you will spend some time learning more about all of the great prevention work they do. We also want to remind you that Prevent Child Abuse America has been regularly podcasting for the last year and so if you have a moment we would like to invite you to take a listen to our podcasts as well.

Marian Wright Edelman of the Children's Defense Fund on parents, home visiting and Healthy Families America at the Huffington Post.

We were quite thrilled to see the esteemed Marian Wright Edelman of the Children's Defense Fund blogging on parents, home visiting and Healthy Families America, among other programs, at the Huffington Post. Please take a look and many thanks to Ms. Edelman for the support.