The 2011 Wrigley Start Early Run. We are live.

This year's Wrigley Start Early Run will be held on April 23, 2011 at Chicago's Grant Park. Run. Walk. Join us. Spread the word. Register. Learn more here. We are live and we look forward to having you join us.

Check it out. Prevent Child Abuse America Joins SAVE for All Coalition.

As the House-passed spending bill for FY 2011 (HR 1) and many of the cuts proposed by the President demonstrate, vital services that ensure a child’s health and development, such as head start, child care, energy assistance, and nutrition programs are at risk of massive cuts this year. Prevent Child Abuse America has joined the Strengthening America’s Values and Economy for All (SAVE for All) Coalition to help fight these cuts and to educate federal policymakers on the value of these services. The SAVE for All Coalition is made up of national and local organizations, service providers, faith-based organizations, labor, civil rights groups, and policy experts.

A message from Prevent Child Abuse New York: Help Save Healthy Families New York.

Hello,

As you may know, Governor Cuomo's budget proposal eliminates funding for Healthy Families New York (HFNY). This proposal would dismantle a program with a proven record of preventing child abuse. It also would make New York ineligible for federal home visiting grants that would improve the lives of even more of our states’ most vulnerable children and families.

We're doing everything we can to save HFNY, but we can't do it without you! Please use our e-advocacy tool to e-mail your state legislators. A sample letter is provided, but I encourage you to personalize your email. This is your chance to speak out on behalf of the leaders of tomorrow, New York's kids. If you would rather mail your legislators a letter, simply reply to this email and I'll send you a copy of the sample letter.

The Take Action section of our web site includes many resources for advocates, including background information about HFNY and the many ways the program prevents child abuse while also saving taxpayer money. There you will also be able to sign our Save Healthy Families New York petition.

Prevent Child Abuse New York brought HFNY to the state, and we're fighting to keep it going. Please join us in taking action to save Healthy Families New York and send your letter today. Because kids can't wait for a better budget year.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Matrazzo
Prevent Child Abuse New York

Help Families Nationwide this Tax Season!

To assist with your tax returns this year, and help families nationwide at the same time, be sure to visit your local Roni Deutch Tax Center. For the second consecutive year, Roni Deutch Tax Centers nationwide are generously selling $1.00 “paper pinwheels” to benefit Prevent Child Abuse America from January 1st to April 15th. And in select locations, the tax centers have set up campaigns to donate $20 to the Prevent Child Abuse America state chapter for every Federal tax return filed. To find a Roni Deutch Tax Center location nearest you, please look here.

Some thoughts on Emily Bazelon's recent NY Times Magazine article on Shaken Baby Syndrome, "Has a Flawed Diagnosis Put Innocent People Behind Bars?"

In response to the recent New York Times Magazine article regarding Shaken Baby Syndrome by Emily Bazelon, “Has a Flawed Diagnosis Put Innocent People Behind Bars?”, Prevent Child Abuse America would like to offer the following thoughts.

Prevent Child Abuse America advocates for promoting a shared societal responsibility for the healthy development of children and providing all families with the support and resources they need.

Any time there is evidence a child has been injured, the cause of the injury should be evaluated appropriately by a medical professional.

When evidence of shaken baby syndrome is present, we believe the following questions should be asked:

• What role did stress or other emotional issues like frustration play in this situation and how do we as a community and as a nation ensure that adequate services, information and help are available to parents and/or caregivers when they are needed and as long as they are needed?

• What opportunities exist to change the culture and norms of our nation to reflect the real value we all should place on children having loving, healthy and stable experiences?

By having a discussion about shaken baby syndrome or other child abuse or neglect topics, we are taking a positive step towards prioritizing prevention so that child abuse and neglect never occur in the first place.

Flowers and chocolate and love, oh my!

Happy Valentine’s Day! As you’re shopping for gifts for your loved ones, consider purchasing your flowers and chocolates through this cause to help Prevent Child Abuse America and our signature program Healthy Families America. This year, Causes.com will donate $10 to help us with our efforts to enhance healthy child development and prevent child abuse and neglect for every purchase you make here. This is a great opportunity to double your giving and your Valentine will love knowing their gift will help us support children, their families and the communities they live in across the nation.

Some thoughts on hot sauce, discipline, healthy child development and the prevention of child abuse and neglect.

There has been a lot of attention in the media this week about the mother who used hot sauce to punish her child and we wanted to share our thoughts on this story.

• Prevent Child Abuse America does not endorse this type of discipline.

• We know that other forms of discipline, such as giving time-outs, explaining rules, or taking away privileges, have been shown to be more effective than more invasive and punitive forms of discipline like this.

• Different questions need to be asked:

• "Why did this parent believe this form of discipline was appropriate and what should we, as a society, do differently to provide more pertinent information that supports healthy child development which also includes providing effective discipline and the structure that children need both now as they transition into adulthood"?

• "What role did stress or other emotional issues like frustration play in this situation and how do we as a community and as a nation ensure that adequate services, information and help are available to parents when they are needed and as long as they are needed"?

• Further, we also want to ask hard questions such as, what is the long-term impact of forms of discipline such as this on a child's development and are those long term impacts worth the perceived short-term benefits? ...and if they are not, what are our policymakers going to do differently? Additionally, do children translate the use of this type of punishment as an acceptable means to control and manage others rather than providing more peaceful and more effective means of solving problems?

• We all play a role in ensuring that prevention strategies, such as home visiting, mutual self-help support programs, and sexual abuse prevention programs, exist in the communities in which we live and we should ask ourselves what opportunities exist to change the culture and norms of our nation to reflect the real value we all should place on children having loving and healthy experiences?

• For more information please visit our website, as well as, the website for our signature home visiting program Healthy Families America.